By Sam Boughedda
Investing.com -- Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) has dosed the first participant in a clinical trial of an experimental human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) trimer mRNA vaccine, the company said Monday.
Moderna shares rose 17% after the announcement.
Moderna explained in a press release that the open-label, multicenter, randomized Phase 1 trial is designed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of experimental HIV trimer mRNA vaccines.
The company's idea is that the trimer mRNA vaccines will be safe and well-tolerated by HIV-uninfected individuals and will produce neutralizing antibodies.
The trial, sponsored and funded by the Division of AIDS of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the National Institutes of Health, will enroll approximately 100 HIV-negative adults aged 18 to 55 years.
"Developing a vaccine regimen that induces sustained protective levels of HIV neutralizing antibodies in humans has been difficult to achieve. At Moderna, we believe that mRNA offers an opportunity to take a fresh approach to this challenge," said Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna.