Global Toronto News   Tuesday, 20 December, 2011

TORONTO -- A possible vaccine for HIV/AIDS has been approved for human trials, researchers from the University of Western Ontario announced on Tuesday.

University of Western Ontario researchers made the announcement on Tuesday morning that United States Food and Drug Administration has approved the vaccine for human trials.
 
According to a release by the University of Western Ontario, the vaccine "holds tremendous promise, having already proven to stimulate strong immune responses in preliminary toxicology tests with no adverse effects or safety risks."
 
According to Dr. Chil-Yong Kang, of Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, the “FDA approval for human clinical trials is an extremely significant milestone for our vaccine, which has the potential to save the lives of millions of people around the world by preventing HIV infection."
 
Not only is it the only vaccine being developed in Canada, but it is also the "first and only preventative HIV vaccine based on a genetically modified killed whole virus."
 
The first phase of human trials, set to start in January 2012, will "double check the safety of the vaccine in humans, involving only 40 HIV-positive volunteers."
 

YouTube; The first and only preventative HIV vaccine based on a genetically modified killed whole virus has received approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start human clinical trials.