The Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation is actively participating in the global effort to find a preventative HIV vaccine.
In October 2002, the Cape Town AIDS Vaccine Clinical Trials Unit was established in the Western Cape with the objective of providing a comprehensive vaccine clinical trials platform. This national and international collaborative study is conducting research on candidate vaccines at all levels of development and will enable diverse communities, including adolescents, to understand and thus participate in vaccine clinical trials in the greater Cape Town area.
The Vaccine Clinical Trials Unit encompasses an administrative, supportive and scientific core based at the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre and three Clinical Research Sites (CRS) all located within 35 kilometres of central Cape Town:
- Desmond Tutu HIV Centre head office research site, focusing on Phase I and II HIV vaccine trials
- Masiphumelele research site, focusing on Phase I and II specialist vaccine trials, with an emphasis on adolescent research.
- Nyanga research site at Emavundleni Centre focusing, on Phase III HIV vaccines trials for prevention of HIV infection.
Through our research, much valuable information has been obtained regarding sexual risk behavior and changes over time, willingness to participate in vaccine trials and mental health, as well as clinical information regarding seroconversion rates and STI rates. A similar study is being run from DTHC amongst men who have sex with men. This study is currently enrolling.
A number of rating-scales have been developed to examine issues in preparation for phase III vaccine trials. These include issues of recruitment, retention, risk-behaviour (in heterosexual and homosexual communities), social harms, stigma and willingness to participate in future HIV vaccine trials.
The 2007 opening of Emavundleni Centre marked a major endeavor to prepare, recruit and launch full-scale vaccine initiatives.
