Russian scientists are working on developing a vaccine for the deadly disease Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). If everything goes according to plan, the vaccine could be ready in two years or even sooner, according to an expert from Russia’s Gamaleya National Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology.
In an interview on Wednesday, August 27, Vladimir Guschin, head of the Epidemiology Department at the Gamaleya Center, told RIA Novosti that the much-anticipated vaccine will be developed using mRNA technology.
Guschin explained, “We are currently developing an antigen capable of generating a broadly effective immune response. The success of this vaccine will depend on how effectively the immunogen can protect against all types of HIV variants.”
He added that HIV is an extremely diverse virus, making vaccine development particularly challenging.
The Gamaleya Center previously developed the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, which was launched in August 2020. The vaccine was reported to have an efficacy rate of approximately 97.8%, with no serious side effects, and it was approved in nearly 70 countries.
Guschin also noted that while HIV vaccine research has been ongoing for many years, the mRNA platform offers a major advantage: it can trigger a much stronger immune response.
“This will be a genetically engineered vaccine, initially designed entirely on computers,” he said. The institute is currently producing and testing immunogens that could be effective against the widest range of HIV strains.
In the next stage, the most promising immunogens will be tested on complex animal models. The entire development process is expected to take about two years.
