Messenger RNA raises hopes for an AIDS vaccine

Forty years of AIDS history, 40 years of research punctuated with hope, including that of finding a vaccine, as in 2009, with a promising trial. A hope finally disappointed, like the others. But the Covid crisis has opened up a new avenue, messenger RNA. The Moderna laboratory has launched trials to use its technique against HIV, which is more flexible and adaptable. These are phase 1 trials, and will take not months but years of study.

Because finding a vaccine against the coronavirus was less complicated than against HIV, in particular because the AIDS virus attacks the immune system supposed to defend us and it is extremely variable. To counter the coronavirus, the vaccine targets the spike protein. But for HIV, one target is not enough. Like the scientific community, associations remain cautious, but want to believe in this new strategy.