Are US Scientists Creating Single-Dose Vaccines for HIV and Covid?

New Delhi, Aug 28 (NationPress) A group of researchers in the United States is actively engaged in the creation of vaccines capable of offering protection against HIV, Covid, and potentially other illnesses, all through a single dose.

The collaborative team from MIT and the Scripps Research Institute administered a unique vaccine to mice that incorporates two distinct adjuvants, which are substances designed to enhance the immune response. Their findings indicated that this combination resulted in the production of significantly stronger immune responses.

The dual-adjuvant vaccine was observed to concentrate in the lymph nodes, where B cells, a type of white blood cell, encounter antigens and rapidly mutate to create new antibodies.

This vaccine’s antigens remained in the lymph nodes for as long as a month, facilitating the immune system's development of a much larger and more diverse array of antibodies against the HIV protein compared to vaccines administered alone or with a single adjuvant.

As explained by MIT professor J. Christopher Love, this innovative method may replicate what occurs during a natural infection, potentially leading to an immune response that is sufficiently robust that future vaccinations would only be necessary once.

“This presents an exciting opportunity to craft new formulations for these types of vaccines across a vast spectrum of diseases, including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and other pandemic threats,” stated Love.

In a separate development, a Russian manufacturer of Covid-19 vaccines is also on track to create an mRNA-based vaccine for HIV, according to RIA Novosti, the national information agency of Russia.

The vaccine, being developed by the Gamaleya Center in Moscow, aims to elicit an immune response against the virus responsible for AIDS and could be available in approximately two years.

This much-anticipated HIV vaccine is founded on mRNA technology, as noted by Vladimir Gushchin, head of the institute’s epidemiology department, in an announcement to RIA Novosti.

“We are in the process of developing the initial antigens that will generate a broadly neutralizing immune response. The success of this vaccine hinges on whether our immunogen can provoke a response capable of defending against all variants,” explained Gushchin, an epidemiologist at the center.

The Gamaleya Center is also recognized for the development of Sputnik V, one of the earliest Covid-19 vaccines, which was launched in August 2020 and has demonstrated an efficacy of up to 97.8% without serious side effects, gaining approval in nearly 70 countries.