In a new preclinical study conducted by MHRP, an HIV vaccine formulated with a novel adjuvant called AFLA developed at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research elicited stronger immune responses than a vaccine with a more commonly used alum adjuvant. Findings from the study were published in PLOS Pathogens.
Researchers immunized rhesus macaques with a prime-boost HIV-1 vaccine regimen adjuvanted with either alum or the ALF adjuvant and administered a SHIV challenge. Findings demonstrated adjuvating with ALFA, but not alum, dramatically reduced infection risk among males; ALFA reduced the per-exposure infection risk by 59% compared to controls.
The preclinical study indicates that ALFA is a safe adjuvant formulation which generates protective antibody responses in primates, indicating that future vaccine strategies could benefit from the inclusion of next-generation adjuvants.