Study of an HIV Preventive Vaccine Given With or Without an Adjuvant in HIV Uninfected Adults

A Phase I Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of an HIV-1 Gag DNA Vaccine With or Without IL-12 DNA Adjuvant, Boosted With Homologous Plasmids in Healthy, HIV-1 Uninfected Adult Participants

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of an experimental HIV vaccine. The vaccine will be given with or without IL-12 DNA adjuvant (at three escalating doses of 100, 500, and 1,500 mcg respectively), a substance that helps the body respond to a vaccine. This study will also determine the safety and tolerability of an experimental HIV vaccine boosted with two adjuvants.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: HIV Infections
• Intervention / Treatment: Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA; Biological: Sodium chloride injection (0.9%); Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA plus IL-12 DNA adjuvant; Biological: CTL MEP/RC529-SE/GM-CSF (CTL MEP vaccine)

Detailed Description

The HIV epidemic is a major global health challenge, causing tremendous human suffering and economic loss throughout the world. The need for a safe, effective, and affordable HIV preventive vaccine is critical. This study will determine the safety and immunogenicity of an experimental HIV vaccine, HIV-1 gag DNA, given with or without an IL-12 adjuvant and boosted HIV-1 gag DNA with or without IL-12 DNA adjuvant.

This study will comprise two parts (Parts A and B). Part A will last 9 months and Part B, 15 months. Part A will consist of 48 participants enrolled in 4 groups. Group 1 participants will be randomly assigned to receive the gag DNA vaccine or placebo. Participants in Groups 2, 3, and 4 will be randomly assigned to receive the gag DNA vaccine and either 100 mcg, 500 mcg, or 1,500 mcg IL-12 DNA or placebo. Vaccinations for Groups 1 through 4 will be given intramuscularly and will occur at study entry and at Months 1 and 3.

Part B will consist of 96 participants, enrolled in 3 groups. Participants in Part B will receive their first vaccination 2 weeks after Part A participants receive their second vaccination. Group 5 participants will receive either the HIV-1 gag DNA vaccine or placebo. Group 6 participants will receive either the HIV-1 gag DNA vaccine plus IL-12 DNA or placebo. Vaccinations for Groups 5 and 6 will occur at study entry and at Months 1, 3, 6, and 9. Group 7 participants will receive either the gag DNA vaccine plus IL-12 DNA or placebo at study entry and at Months 1 and 3. Throughout the study, blood and urine collections will occur, physical exams will be conducted, HIV testing and counseling will be offered, and interviews and questionnaires will be completed.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 144
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Thailand
  • Chiang Mai, Thailand
    • Chiang Mai Univ. HVTN CRS
• United States
  • Alabama
    • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35294-2041
      • Alabama Vaccine CRS
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201
      • Project Brave HIV Vaccine CRS
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
      • Vanderbilt Vaccine CRS

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• HIV uninfected
• Access to a participating HIV Vaccine Trials Unit (HVTU)
• Willing to receive HIV test results
• Willing and able to comply with all study requirements
• In good general health
• Willing to use acceptable methods of contraception for at least 21 days prior to study entry and until the last study visit. More information about this criterion can be found in the protocol.
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) antibody negative or negative HCV PCR if anti-HCV antibody is positive
• Weighs of or greater than 110 pounds (50 kg)

Exclusion Criteria:

• HIV infection
• HIV vaccines or placebos in prior HIV trial
• Immunosuppressive medications within 168 days prior to first study vaccination
• Blood products within 120 days prior to first study vaccination
• Live attenuated vaccines within 30 days prior to first study vaccination
• Medically indicated subunit or killed vaccines within 14 days prior to first study vaccination
• Pneumococcal vaccine within 14 days prior to first study vaccination
• Allergy treatment with antigen injections within 30 days prior to first study vaccination
• Current anti-tuberculosis (TB) preventive therapy or treatment
• Clinically significant medical condition, abnormal physical exam findings, abnormal laboratory results, or past medical history that may affect current health
• Any medical, psychiatric, or social condition that would interfere with the study. More information about this criterion can be found in the protocol.
• Any job-related responsibility that would interfere with the study
• Allergies to local amide-type anesthetics
• Serious adverse reactions to vaccines, including hypersensitivity and related symptoms. A person who had an adverse reaction to pertussis vaccine as a child is not excluded.
• Autoimmune disease or immunodeficiency
• Active syphilis infection. Participants who have been fully treated for syphilis over 6 months prior to study entry are not excluded.
• Moderate to severe asthma. More information on this criterion can be found in the protocol.
• Type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Participants with histories of isolated gestational diabetes are not excluded.
• Thyroid disease or surgical removal of the thyroid requiring medication during the 12 months prior to study entry
• Accumulation of fluid in the blood vessels (angioedema) within 3 years prior to study entry, with episodes requiring medication in the 2 years prior to study entry
• Hypertension that is not well controlled by medication OR blood pressure of 150/100 or higher at study entry
• Body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater OR BMI of 35 or greater, if certain criteria are met. More information about these criteria can be found in the protocol.
• Bleeding disorder
• Cancer. Participants with surgically removed cancer that, in the opinion of the investigator, is unlikely to recur are not excluded.
• Absence of the spleen
• Plans to become pregnant during the study
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding

Exclusion Criterion for Participants in Part B:

• Allergies to yeast-derived products

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

7

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1; HIV gag DNA vaccine or placebo on Days 0, 28, and 84	Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA; A 0.75 mL intramuscular injection of HIV gag DNA vaccine into the deltoid; Biological: Sodium chloride injection (0.9%); All placebo groups will receive an intramuscular injection of sodium chloride (0.9%) in the deltoid. Group 1 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 2 will receive a 0.8 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 3 will receive a 1.0 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 4 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 5 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 6 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 7 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84 and a 1 mL injection into the deltoid on Days 168 and 273.
Experimental: 2; HIV gag DNA vaccine plus 100 mcg of IL-12 or placebo on Days 0, 28, and 84	Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA; A 0.75 mL intramuscular injection of HIV gag DNA vaccine into the deltoid; Biological: Sodium chloride injection (0.9%); All placebo groups will receive an intramuscular injection of sodium chloride (0.9%) in the deltoid. Group 1 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 2 will receive a 0.8 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 3 will receive a 1.0 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 4 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 5 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 6 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 7 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84 and a 1 mL injection into the deltoid on Days 168 and 273.; Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA plus IL-12 DNA adjuvant; Injection IL-12 DNA adjuvant intramuscularly into the deltoid
Experimental: 3; HIV gag DNA vaccine plus 500 mcg of IL-12 or placebo on Days 0, 28, and 84	Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA; A 0.75 mL intramuscular injection of HIV gag DNA vaccine into the deltoid; Biological: Sodium chloride injection (0.9%); All placebo groups will receive an intramuscular injection of sodium chloride (0.9%) in the deltoid. Group 1 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 2 will receive a 0.8 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 3 will receive a 1.0 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 4 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 5 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 6 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 7 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84 and a 1 mL injection into the deltoid on Days 168 and 273.; Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA plus IL-12 DNA adjuvant; Injection IL-12 DNA adjuvant intramuscularly into the deltoid
Experimental: 4; HIV gag DNA vaccine plus 1,500 mcg of IL-12 or placebo on Days 0, 28, and 84	Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA; A 0.75 mL intramuscular injection of HIV gag DNA vaccine into the deltoid; Biological: Sodium chloride injection (0.9%); All placebo groups will receive an intramuscular injection of sodium chloride (0.9%) in the deltoid. Group 1 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 2 will receive a 0.8 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 3 will receive a 1.0 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 4 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 5 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 6 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 7 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84 and a 1 mL injection into the deltoid on Days 168 and 273.; Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA plus IL-12 DNA adjuvant; Injection IL-12 DNA adjuvant intramuscularly into the deltoid
Experimental: 5; HIV gag DNA vaccine or placebo on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273	Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA; A 0.75 mL intramuscular injection of HIV gag DNA vaccine into the deltoid; Biological: Sodium chloride injection (0.9%); All placebo groups will receive an intramuscular injection of sodium chloride (0.9%) in the deltoid. Group 1 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 2 will receive a 0.8 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 3 will receive a 1.0 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 4 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 5 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 6 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 7 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84 and a 1 mL injection into the deltoid on Days 168 and 273.
Experimental: 6; HIV gag DNA vaccine plus IL-12 or placebo on Days 0, 28, and 84 plus CTL MEP/RC529-SE/GM-SCF booster vaccine on Days 168 and 273	Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA; A 0.75 mL intramuscular injection of HIV gag DNA vaccine into the deltoid; Biological: Sodium chloride injection (0.9%); All placebo groups will receive an intramuscular injection of sodium chloride (0.9%) in the deltoid. Group 1 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 2 will receive a 0.8 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 3 will receive a 1.0 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 4 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 5 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 6 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 7 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84 and a 1 mL injection into the deltoid on Days 168 and 273.; Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA plus IL-12 DNA adjuvant; Injection IL-12 DNA adjuvant intramuscularly into the deltoid; Biological: CTL MEP/RC529-SE/GM-CSF (CTL MEP vaccine); A 1 mL intramuscular injection in the deltoid
Experimental: 7; HIV gag DNA vaccine plus IL-12 DNA adjuvant or placebo on Days 0 and 84	Biological: HIV-1 gag DNA; A 0.75 mL intramuscular injection of HIV gag DNA vaccine into the deltoid; Biological: Sodium chloride injection (0.9%); All placebo groups will receive an intramuscular injection of sodium chloride (0.9%) in the deltoid. Group 1 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 2 will receive a 0.8 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 3 will receive a 1.0 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 4 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84. Group 5 will receive a 0.75 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 6 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, 84, 168, and 273. Group 7 will receive a 1.5 mL injection on Days 0, 28, and 84 and a 1 mL injection into the deltoid on Days 168 and 273.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Safety, as judged by local and systemic reactogenicity signs and symptoms, laboratory measures of safety, and adverse and serious experiences	Throughout the study

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Immunogenicity, as judged by HIV-specific cellular responses assessed by interferon-gamma ELISpot assays and by intracellular cytokine staining (ICS)	Throughout the study

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• Investigators: Study Chair: Spyros Kalams, MD, Vanderbilt University; Study Chair: Scott Parker, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bolesta E, Gzyl J, Wierzbicki A, Kmieciak D, Kowalczyk A, Kaneko Y, Srinivasan A, Kozbor D. Clustered epitopes within the Gag-Pol fusion protein DNA vaccine enhance immune responses and protection against challenge with recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing HIV-1 Gag and Pol antigens. Virology. 2005 Feb 20;332(2):467-79. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2004.09.043. Erratum In: Virology. 2005 May 10;335(2):291.
• Letvin NL. Progress toward an HIV vaccine. Annu Rev Med. 2005;56:213-23. doi: 10.1146/annurev.med.54.101601.152349.
• Sha BE, Onorato M, Bartlett JA, Bosch RJ, Aga E, Nokta M, Adams EM, Li XD, Eldridge J, Pollard RB. Safety and immunogenicity of a polyvalent peptide C4-V3 HIV vaccine in conjunction with IL-12. AIDS. 2004 May 21;18(8):1203-6. doi: 10.1097/00002030-200405210-00015.
• Jin X, Morgan C, Yu X, DeRosa S, Tomaras GD, Montefiori DC, Kublin J, Corey L, Keefer MC; NIAID HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Multiple factors affect immunogenicity of DNA plasmid HIV vaccines in human clinical trials. Vaccine. 2015 May 11;33(20):2347-53. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.03.036. Epub 2015 Mar 25.
• Kalams SA, Parker S, Jin X, Elizaga M, Metch B, Wang M, Hural J, Lubeck M, Eldridge J, Cardinali M, Blattner WA, Sobieszczyk M, Suriyanon V, Kalichman A, Weiner DB, Baden LR; NIAID HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Safety and immunogenicity of an HIV-1 gag DNA vaccine with or without IL-12 and/or IL-15 plasmid cytokine adjuvant in healthy, HIV-1 uninfected adults. PLoS One. 2012;7(1):e29231. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029231. Epub 2012 Jan 5.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 23, 2005
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 23, 2005
• First Posted (Estimate): May 24, 2005

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 14, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 13, 2021
• Last Verified: October 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: HIV Seronegativity; AIDS Vaccines; HIV Preventive Vaccine; HIV Vaccines
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Lentivirus Infections; Retroviridae Infections; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Immune System Diseases; HIV Infections
• Other Study ID Numbers: HVTN 060; 10057 (Other Identifier: CTEP)