Vaccine shows promise in curing HIV, Hong Kong biotech start-up says

‘We may be on the brink of a breakthrough,’ Dr Edward Leong, advisory board chairman of Immuno Cure says

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A Hong Kong biotech start-up says its first-phase trial of a therapeutic HIV vaccine has shown promising results. Photo: dpa

Published: 5:00pm, 14 Nov 2024Updated: 8:39pm, 14 Nov 2024

A Hong Kong biotech company said its therapeutic HIV vaccine showed “promising” results in a recent clinical trial, taking it one step closer to offering patients an alternative to antiretroviral therapy, and eventually a functional cure for the virus that causes Aids.

Developed by Immuno Cure, based in Hong Kong Science Park, ICVAX demonstrated “exceptional safety and promising immunogenicity profiles” during its first-phase clinical trial carried out at the Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital, the company said. Forty-five people took part in the trial.

Unlike traditional vaccines which are preventive, therapeutic vaccines are designed to be administered after an infection occurs. Most participants who received the optimal ICVAX dose saw a more than twofold jump in T-cell response, according to the firm. T cells, a type of white blood cells, attack and kill infected cells.

All reported “treatment-related adverse events” were mild, the company added.

A paramedic takes a blood sample from a baby for an HIV test at a Pakistani village. Photo: AFP

Immuno Cure said it plans to share its findings in scientific conferences and a peer-reviewed journal. Data from the first-phase trial will be submitted to regulatory agencies for review.

The second-phase trial is set to launch in mid-2025, and will expand to other medical institutions, including the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Phase 1 Clinical Trial Centre at the Prince of Wales Hospital, and Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital. Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital will also take part.