SAV001

SAV001-H is the first preventive HIV vaccine using a killed or "dead version" of HIV-1 virus.

The vaccine is developed by Dr. Chil-Yong Kang and his research team at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in Canada.

The result of the US FDA Phase I clinical trial completed in August 2013 showed no serious adverse effects in 33 participants.

Vaccine Design

The SAV001-H vaccine is considered as the first genetically modified version of the killed whole HIV-1 vaccine.

According to Dr. Kang, HIV-1 strain is genetically engineered such that first, “the gene responsible for pathogenicity, known as nef” is removed to make it non-pathogenic and then the signal peptide gene is replaced with a honey bee toxin (melittin) signal peptide to make the virus production much higher and faster. In the signal peptide exchange process, another gene called vpu is lost due to an overlapping.

Finally, this genetically modified version of HIV-1, (i.e., HIV-1 virus with nef negative, vpu negative and signal peptide gene replaced with honey bee’s) grown in human T-lymphocytes (A3.01 cell line) are collected and purified before inactivating them by AT-2 (aldrithiol-2 or 2,2'-Dipyridyldisulfide) chemical treatment and gamma irradiation. AT-2 chemical treatment is used because it does not affect the viral structure and immunogens.