Safety and Immune Response to a Recombinant Adenovirus HIV-1 Vaccine in Healthy Adults

Successful control of the HIV epidemic will require a safe and effective vaccine to be developed. A successful vaccine will need to stimulate a widespread immune response. The purpose of this study is to determine the safety of and immune response to an adenovirus serotype HIV vaccine in HIV uninfected adults.

Control of the HIV pandemic can only be achieved with the development of a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine. A vaccine that will prevent HIV infection will elicit a strong immune response from both CD4 and CD8 cells. Recombinant adenovirus serotype vectors have been shown to elicit just such a response. The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and immunogenicity of the recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 preventive HIV-1 vaccine. This study will last 18 to 24 months. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of four arms that will receive vaccine or placebo administered via intramuscular injection. Participants in Arms 1, 2, and 3 will all receive 3 injections. Participants in Arm 4 will receive one injection. For most participants, there will be 10 study visits in this study; for participants in Arm 4, there will be only 7 visits. For Arms 1, 2, and 3, study visits will occur at baseline and on Days 0, 14, 28, 42, 56, 168, 182,196, and 365. Participants in Arms 1, 2, and 3 will receive injections on Days 0, 28, and 168. For participants in Arm 4, study visits will occur at baseline and on Days 0, 14, 28, 56, 168 and 365. Participants in Arm 4 will receive one injection only, on Day 0. Participants will be asked to record their temperature and other side effects in a symptom log for 3 days after each injection. Risk reduction/pregnancy prevention counseling and physical exams will occur at all visits. At most visits, blood, urine, and oral swab collection will occur. Samples collected will be stored for future testing. HIV testing and pregnancy testing will occur at select visits. At Years 2, 3, 4, and 5, participants will be followed-up by telephone, e-mail, or study visit to collect vital status, and information about any development of significant disability or incapacity, hospitalizations, or congenital anomalies. At these follow-up visits, blood collection will be optional.