SA marks another historic step in battle against HIV/AIDS
The BRILLIANT 011 trial at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation site at Groote Schuur Hospital enrolled its first participant this week, marking a major milestone in developing a vaccine specifically designed to combat HIV strains prevalent in Southern Africa.
Image: TUMI PAKKIES/ Independent Newspapers
THE launch of a first-in-human clinical trial at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation (DTHF) site at Groote Schuur Hospital has been hailed as a historic step toward contributing to the development of an HIV vaccine, aimed at HIV vaccine strains circulating in Southern Africa.
The first participant in the BRILLIANT 011 trial was enrolled this week.
The trial is being conducted by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) in partnership with DTHF and the Wits Health Consortium, marking a major milestone in African-led HIV vaccine research.
The study forms part of the BRILLIANT Consortium (BRinging Innovation to cLinical and Laboratory research to end HIV In Africa through New vaccine Technology), a groundbreaking initiative launched in 2024.
The consortium seeks to unite leading researchers from South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique, and is notable for being predominantly led by African women scientists, with the SAMRC leading this first study.
Despite facing severe setbacks following US funding cuts that threatened to derail the programme, the BRILLIANT Consortium demonstrated remarkable scientific resilience, the SAMRC said.
Through swift leadership action and the mobilisation of new investment, the team successfully preserved the integrity of the research and ensured that Africa’s first clinical trial under BRILLIANT could proceed.
The trial is testing two cutting-edge vaccine components — BG505 GT1.1 and 426c.Mod.Core-C4b — administered with the SMNP adjuvant. These state-of-the-art immunogens are the result of international scientific collaboration involving the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, the Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development and Amsterdam University Medical Centers.
BRILLIANT 011 is designed to explore new strategies for triggering broadly neutralising antibody responses, one of the most complex and critical challenges in HIV vaccine development.
SAMRC sponsor representative, Prof Glenda Gray said being able to lead fundamental research on the continent enables African scientists to contribute to HIV science that has the potential to leap-frog innovation in this area.
“Advances in HIV vaccine research and development place our team in a pivotal position to map immune responses to these novel vaccines in order to guide further development of this regimen,” she said.
Cape Times