UCI Hospital Joins HIV-Vaccine Test

UCI Medical Center is joining one of the nation’s largest studies to test a possible HIV vaccine.

The Orange hospital is seeking 200 volunteers--who will be among the estimated 5,000 needed at medical centers nationwide--to receive the vaccine and help researchers determine if it prevents infection by the virus that causes AIDS.

“This is a very important step toward controlling the epidemic,” said Dr. Donald Forthal, an assistant professor of medicine leading the UCI effort.

The three-year clinical trial will involve injecting two-thirds of the subjects with the vaccine called AIDSVAX.

The rest will receive a placebo for comparison.

Previous testing of the vaccine showed that the 1,200 inoculated participants developed antibodies that attacked the human immunodeficiency virus.

And in studies with chimpanzees, the vaccine protected the animals against the AIDS virus.

The findings resulted in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approving clinical trials of the vaccine last June.

Manufactured by VaxGen, based in Brisbane, Calif., the vaccine was made of proteins found on the surface of two HIV strains. The proteins are not infectious, Forthal said.

Researchers believe there are minimal physical risks with the vaccine.

But some worry that the public might falsely assume that the vaccine will infect volunteers with HIV. Another fear, Forthal added, is that those who receive inoculations might engage in risky sexual behavior because they think the vaccine will protect them.

“We don’t know if the vaccine will indeed protect them. That is in fact why we are testing it,” he said.

Volunteers will receive extensive counseling about safe sex throughout the trial period.

UCI is recruiting gay men and women with multiple sex partners or with HIV-positive partners. All volunteers must be HIV-negative and commit to the three-year program.

The trials will be conducted at the medical center in Orange and at the Laguna Beach Community Clinic.

For more information, call UCI Medical Center at (714) 456-7612 or Laguna Beach Community Clinic at (949) 494-0761, Ext. 10.