Progress and Prospects in HIV Vaccine Development: A Comprehensive Review
Vivian Ukamaka Nwokedi
*
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.
Comfort Ohunene Mathew
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.
Enibokun Theresa Orobator
College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Ikechukwu Kanu
Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie Indiana, United States.
Olukunle O. Akanbi
National Louis University, 6550 W Hillsborough Avenue, Tampa, FL 33634, United States
Bankole Israel Adeyemi
Department of Medical Laboratory Services, Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Akure, Nigeria.
Josephat Chisom Uzochukwu
Department of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Clinical sciences, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Abdulmojeed Aishat O
Department of Internal Medicine, State Hospital, Ijebu Ode - Hospital Management Board, Ogun State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
HIV/AIDS has been a disease condition affecting the entire world since its discovery in the 1980s, with over 38 million people in the globe living with the virus. Several attempts, research and funds have been channelled towards discovering a cure for HIV/AIDS yet no cure has been discovered. Considering the burden associated with the disease condition, having a vaccine to help control the spread will be a great approach in the course of achieving universal control coverage of the disease condition and an end to the disease over time. In this review we examined the progress, challenges, and future directions in HIV vaccine development and various types of vaccine candidates currently under investigation, highlighting key drug candidates that failed to provide protection against HIV such as PrEPVacc, HVTN 505, Uhambo (HVTN 702), Imbokodo (HVTN 705) and Mosaico (HVTN 706) as well as RV144 that provided 31.2% protection against HIV in a modified intent-to-treat analysis and those whose investigations are still in progress. The search for HIV Vaccine continues despite the modest success of some vaccines in clinical trials due to diversity in genetic nature of HIV, its ability to mutate rapidly, and the difficulty of eliciting a sustained immune response. Hence we also reviewed current approaches to improve on the success rate recorded by RV144.
Keywords: HIV vaccine, clinical trials, vaccines; HIV, immune response, BnAbs, mRNA vaccines, gene therapy