Fact Sheet
Thailand
MHRP Site Established: 1991
Research is conducted out of the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) in Bangkok, Thailand, a joint U.S.-Royal Thai Army research effort. AFRIMS has a broad and diverse research portfolio in infectious diseases, which includes a large Phase III HIV vaccine study.
RV 144: Phase III HIV Vaccine Trial
On September 24, 2009, the office of U.S. Army Surgeon General announced the results of an HIV vaccine study that showed—for the first time ever—that it is possible for a vaccine regimen to reduce the risk of HIV infection in humans.
Results of the trial show that the vaccine regimen is safe and 31.2 percent effective at preventing HIV infection. While this is a modest level of efficacy, it represents a major step forward for HIV vaccines, providing the first evidence that development of a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine is possible. Additional research is needed to better understand how the regimen reduced study volunteers’ risk of HIV infection.
The Phase III HIV Vaccine Trial, also known as RV144, was the largest HIV vaccine study ever conducted in humans and involved more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand. The trial tested a “prime-boost” combination of two vaccines: ALVAC® HIV vaccine (the prime), and AIDSVAX®B/E vaccine (the boost). The vaccine combination was based on HIV strains that commonly circulate in Thailand.
With the emergence of an explosive HIV epidemic in Thailand in the early 1990s, U.S. Army researchers helped to characterize the heterosexual epidemic, isolated Thai viruses, and provided these sequences to companies making HIV vaccines. U.S. and Royal Thai Army researchers, the Thai Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and other Thai vaccine experts together developed a plan to test this candidate vaccine in Thailand.
Volunteer Club meeting in Thailand.
Volunteer Clubs enhance communication and help
increase retention in the Phase III vaccine trial in Thailand.
Other HIV Research Activities
Cohort study of HIV-1 Incidence among clients of the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
- Assess populations in Bangkok at high risk for HIV-1 infection for potential efficacy trials
- Characterize the HIV-1 genotype distribution among HIV-1 seroconverters, potential cellular and humoral immune studies in the future
Acute Infection Study
- Phase I: Assess the prevalence of acute HIV infection in a Thai high risk cohort at the Thai Red Cross Anonymous clinic using stored samples
- Phase II: Prospective study to diagnose acutely HIV-infected subjects within 2-3 weeks (Fiebig I-III) of onset exposure and enroll them into a cohort study over a 2-year period
SEARCH Collaboration
- HIV-1 specific T cell responses and monocyte activation in HIV dementia among Thais; funded by NIH and began in August 2008
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) Collaboration
- Protocol G Neutralizing Antibody protocol, completed in 2008
- Assessment of cellular immune responses with VIA assay of ALVAC-HIV/gp120 B/E
About AFRIMS
The U.S. Army Medical Component of AFRIMS is a Special Foreign Activity of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), hosted by the Royal Thai Army and staffed by American and Thai personnel. For almost 50 years, AFRIMS, in Bangkok, Thailand, has been America's premier platform for the study infectious diseases of military importance in the Asia-Pacific region.
The largest of the Army's overseas research laboratories, AFRIMS plays a vital role in the study of medical threats facing U.S. forces around the world. Research includes disease surveillance, basic science research, and advanced vaccine and drug development for enteric diseases (infectious diarrhea), malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A & E, scrub typhus, vector control, and HIV/AIDS.
AFRIMS has established a scientific base and infrastructure to successfully evaluate the safety/immunogenicity (Phase I/II) and efficacy (Phase III) of candidate vaccines for the prevention of HIV-1 infection, disease and transmission in military populations.
The AFRIMS Department of Retrovirology Laboratory is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), registered with the NIH AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program, and is registered by the Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
More on AFRIMSPrevention, Care and Treatment
The Department of Retrovirology at AFRIMS is engaged in President George W. Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Vietnam. This effort is led by the Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (COE-DMHA). AFRIMS’ mission is to provide technical expertise in HIV diagnostics and laboratory development to enhance the capacity for HIV diagnosis and treatment monitoring in Vietnam.
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