GeoVax biotechnology firm begins early-stage study of HIV combination therapy

GeoVax Labs a biotechnology company has initiated Phase 1 clinical study of combination therapy in HIV-positive patients utilizing GeoVax’s novel boost component MVA62B. The study is a collaboration of researchers led by Dr. Steven Deeks, Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and a faculty member in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. The study is designed to induce remission in HIV-positive individuals, also known as a “functional cure.” It is being funded by the Foundation for AIDS Research.

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The single-arm, open-label study will enroll 20 HIV-infected adults who are on stable and effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). The investigational regimen entails a combination of vaccinations (DNA priming and MVA boosting), administration of broadly neutralizing antibodies, and a Toll-like receptor 9 agonists. GeoVax is providing its novel boost component, MVA62B, for use in the studies. MVA62B is the boosting component for GeoVax’s preventive HIV vaccine, GOVX-B11, which has successfully completed a Phase 2 clinical trial.

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“This Phase 1 trial will be the most comprehensive study to date to assess the efficacy of synergistic approaches to control HIV infection,” said Dr. Steven Deeks.

Can produce both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells

Harriet Robinson, Ph.D., CSO Emeritus of GeoVax, commented, “We have previously demonstrated that our HIV vaccine can stimulate the production of both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells in HIV-positive individuals, which is the intended function of the MVA62B vaccine in the UCSF therapeutic study. Our vaccine also has a well-documented safety profile in more than 500 humans. We are hopeful that the combination of technologies in this study will yield a promising regimen to reduce the latent HIV reservoirs and thereby work towards a functional cure for HIV.”

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