After two decades of intense research in HIV vaccine development, recent successes with several commercially viable vaccine candidates now offer hope. Studies in animal models, including our own, demonstrate that DNA prime: poxvirus boost strategies can induce potent T cell responses. Furthermore, these responses confer significant protection against both HIV and SHIV challenge.

With the support of a US National Institutes of Health award for A$30 million to a consortium of Australian researchers we will test this AIDS vaccine concept in clinical trial in early 2003.