Don’t Stop Believin’: This year’s HIV vaccine research theme

The titles of HIV vaccine sessions at scientific conferences tend to epitomize the current sentiments of the field. Over the years these session titles have on occasion conveyed optimism, while at other junctures communicated a more dire call for a “back to basics” approach.

But most often, following a series of disappointing results from clinical trials, these session titles described a field at a crossroads. That is no longer the case. Researchers in the HIV vaccine field have largely coalesced around what they think will be required to achieve a preventive vaccine. Now, innovation and perseverance are providing reason for hope, which is likely why this year’s main vaccine session at the 24th annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) was entitled, The HIV Vaccine Journey: Don’t Stop Believin’.

Apart from the clever reference to an American rock band’s hit song, this session title accurately portrays today’s attitude toward HIV vaccine development. There is a flurry of activity and irrefutable progress in developing vaccine candidates specifically designed to induce broad and potent antibody responses against the virus. Simultaneously, researchers are pursuing novel strategies to induce HIV-specific antiviral cellular immune responses. Ideally, these two approaches will be combined to provide the best shot at blocking infection.

Advances in this work and novel approaches to vaccine delivery, all of which were featured at CROI, are indeed keeping the belief in HIV vaccine research very much alive.

Read a comprehensive overview here.