Gorilla Adenoviral Vector HIV Vaccine Candidate Funded by The Gates Foundation

As the world awaits the approval of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) vaccine, a novel candidate based on Gorilla adenoviral vector (GRAd-HIV) technology was recently funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Over the past few decades, various HIV vaccine candidates have not succeeded in human clinical trials.

Announced on January 22, 2024, ReiThera Srl, the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, Harvard, and IAVI confirmed a collaboration to develop a novel HIV vaccine candidate that will be composed of ReiThera’s GRAd vector and HIV T-cell epitopes.

ReiThera’s vaccine platform uses a novel proprietary GRAd vector belonging to species C adenoviruses that are considered among the most potent vaccine carriers for the induction of CD8 T-cell responses to the encoded antigens and having a low seroprevalence in humans.

Prior findings by the Ragon Institute have shown that mutation of residues at important network positions disproportionately impaired viral replication and occurred with high frequency in epitopes presented by protective human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles.

Moreover, CD8+ T-cell targeting of highly networked epitopes distinguished individuals who naturally control HIV, even in the absence of protective HLA alleles.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with ReiThera and IAVI, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to advance the GRAd-HIV highly networked T-cell vaccine candidate towards clinical evaluation,” said Gaurav Gaiha, Ragon faculty member, in a press release.

“We are particularly pleased that this takes place with partners in sub-Saharan Africa, given the immense need for new solutions to curtail the ongoing HIV epidemic.”

Key partners in this program include researchers at the Africa Health Research Institute, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa, Mutala Trust, and Charles River Medical Group in Zimbabwe.

IAVI is the sponsor and will execute a phase I clinical trial.