HIV vaccine trial kicks off in South Africa

A second large-scale clinical trial into a potential HIV vaccine has begun in South Africa and will expand to other sites in Southern Africa.

The trial is called Imbokondo, the Zulu word for rock, used in the expression “You strike the woman, you strike the rock”. It will test an experimental HIV vaccine in 2,600 uninfected women.

The proof-of-concept trial will test whether mosaic immunogens can induce immunity against a variety of HIV strains. The trial differs from the HVTN 702 trail launched in South Africa last year, which is testing an Africa-adapted version of a vaccine that has showed promising results in Thailand.