Evaluating the Safety and Immunogenicity of Polyvalent DNA and Recombinant gp120 Protein HIV Vaccine (PDPHV) in Healthy, HIV-uninfected Adults

Starting soon · Phase 2 · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: HIV Prevention

In brief

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of polyvalent env (A,B,C,A/E)/gag (C) DNA prime and gp120 (A,B,C,A/E) protein HIV-1 vaccines boost (PDPHV) with either Alhydrogel or GLA-SE in healthy, HIV-uninfected adults. Volunteers will receive either the PDPHV or the placebo (normal saline) by intramuscular injections. Some volunteers will receive Alhydrogel and others will receive GLA-SE as part of the protein boost.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07675629

Run by

Worcester HIV Vaccine

People needed

126

Starts

2026-09-01

Expected to finish

2029-08-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-30

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 55. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age of 18 to 55 years
• Access to a trial site and willingness to be followed for the planned duration of the study.
• Ability and willingness to provide informed consent
• Demonstrates an understanding of the study
• Agrees not to enroll in another study of an investigational research agent
• Good general health as shown by medical history, physical exam, and screening laboratory tests
• Willingness to receive HIV test results
• Willingness to discuss HIV infection risks and amenable to HIV risk reduction counseling.
• Assessed by the clinic staff as being at "low risk" for HIV infection and committed to maintaining behavior consistent with low risk of HIV exposure through the last required protocol clinic visit.
• Hemoglobin ≥ 11.0 g/dL for volunteers who were born female, ≥ 12.0 g/dL for volunteers who were born male
• White blood cell count = 3,000 to 12,000 cells/mm3
• Total lymphocyte count > 800 cells/mm3
• Remaining differential either within institutional normal range or with site physician approval
• Platelets = 125,000 to 450,000/mm3
• Chemistry panel: ALT< 1.25 times the institutional upper limit of normal; creatinine < 1.1 times institutional upper limit of normal.
• Negative HIV-1 and -2 blood test
• Negative Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
• Negative anti-Hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV)
• Urinalysis
• Negative or trace urine glucose, and
• Negative or trace urine protein, and
• Negative, trace, or 1+ urine hemoglobin (if 1+ hemoglobin is present on dipstick in the absence of menstruation, a microscopic urinalysis with red blood cells morphology within institutional normal range)
• Volunteers who were born female: negative serum or urine beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β HCG) pregnancy test performed prior to vaccination on the day of initial vaccination.
• Reproductive status: A volunteer who was born female must:
• Agree to consistently use effective contraception for sexual activity that could lead to pregnancy from at least 21 days prior to enrollment until at least 3 months after last vaccination.;

You may not qualify if…

• Blood products received within 120 days before first vaccination.
• Investigational research agents received within 30 days before first vaccination.
• Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 40.
• Intent to participate in another study of an investigational research agent or any other study that requires HIV antibody testing.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Active duty and reserve US military personnel.
• HIV vaccine(s) received in a prior HIV vaccine trial.
• Non-HIV experimental vaccine(s) received within the last 1 year in a prior vaccine trial unless the vaccine subsequently received regulatory approval or emergency authorization.
• Live attenuated vaccines, other than the influenza vaccine, received within 30 days before first vaccination or scheduled within 14 days after injection.
• Any vaccines that are not live attenuated vaccines and were received within 14 days prior to first vaccination.
• Allergy treatment with antigen injections within 30 days before the first vaccination or those that are scheduled within 14 days after the first vaccination
• Immunosuppressive medications received within 168 days before the first vaccination.
• Serious adverse reactions to vaccines or to vaccine components, including a history of anaphylaxis and related symptoms such as hives, respiratory difficulty, angioedema, and/or abdominal pain.
• Immunoglobulin received within 60 days before the first vaccination.
• Autoimmune disease, connective tissue disease, or history of vasculitis. A volunteer with a history of a potential immune-mediated medical condition (PIMMC), either active or remote. Not exclusionary: (1) remote history of Bell's palsy (>2 years ago) not associated with other neurologic symptoms; (2) mild psoriasis or other mild, uncomplicated, localized or dermatologic condition that does not require ongoing systemic treatment; (3) remote history (>10 years ago) of Kawasaki disease without sequelae; and (4) celiac disease well controlled for 6 months with diet only.
• Immunodeficiency.
• Clinically significant medical condition, physical examination findings, clinically significant abnormal laboratory results, or past medical history with clinically significant implications for current health as per the investigator's judgement.
• Any medical, psychiatric, occupational, or other condition that, in the judgment of the investigator, would interfere with, or serve as a contraindication to, protocol adherence, assessment of safety or reactogenicity, or a volunteer's ability to give informed consent.
• Psychiatric condition that precludes compliance with the protocol. Specifically excluded are persons with psychoses within the past 3 years, ongoing risk for suicide, or history of suicide attempt or gesture within the past 3 years.
• Current anti-tuberculosis (TB) prophylaxis or therapy.
• Asthma other than mild, well-controlled asthma
• Diabetes mellitus type 1 or type 2, including cases controlled with diet alone. (Not excluded: history of isolated gestational diabetes.)
• Uncontrolled thyroid disease, recent thyroidectomy, or new onset hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, defined as new or changing doses of thyroid medication within the last 12 months.
• Hypertension
• If a person has been found to have elevated blood pressure or hypertension during screening or previously, exclude for blood pressure that is not well controlled (defined as ≥ 90 mmHg diastolic or ≥ 140 mmHg systolic after 10 minutes' rest).

Where it is running

• Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• Emavundleni Clinical Research Site, Desmond Tutu Health Foundation — Cape Town, South Africa

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.