Volunteers needed for trial of vaccine

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Volunteers needed for trial of vaccine

NT Bureau, Chennai, June 28:

Around 16 healthy and non-infected volunteers are needed for the

Phase - 1 of HIV vaccine trial conducted at the Tuberculosis

Research Centre (TRC). This trial is conducted to test the safety of

the vaccine.

The HIV vaccine trial is the second attempt in the country and is

being done in collaboration with YRG care Centre, Indian Council of

Medical Research(ICMR), National AIDS Control Organisation(NACO) and

International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

Speaking to mediapersons, P R Narayanan, director TRC, said the

phase 1 trial consists of two groups with 16 volunteers each . They

would be given low dosage and high dosage of the TBC M4 vaccine

respectively. TBC M4 is a vaccine which has a recombinant of

Modified Vaccine Anakara(MVA) which would help test HIV -1 subtype

India.

He said that the centre already had 16 volunteers on whom the trials

had already started and there was a need for 16 more between the age

of 18 and 50. There would be three injections of the vaccine at

zero, first month and sixth month . The volunteers would have to

visit 17 times during the 18- month trial and have 14 blood draws.

Speaking about the current condition of screening for volunteers, he

said that 33 (of whom 15 are women) were screened and 16 (8 women)

enrolled, seven (three women) non- eligible and six (four women)

ready for enrolment.

According to Dr Suniti , director, YRG Care, only people

belonging to the low risk groups had been selected for the phase 1

and people with hypertension and diabetes were not eligible for the

trials. She said the volunteers were under the care of the

government and if any complication arises during the trial they

would be taken care of. Interested persons can contact V D

Ramanathan, deputy director, Department of Pathology, TRC, at

28369650.

http://newstodaynet.com/28jun/rf11.htm