Today is HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, also called World AIDS Vaccine Day. It was first observed in 1998 and it serves to raise awareness of the need for HIV vaccines and to educate people about how HIV can be prevented.

It is also an opportunity to recognize scientists, health professionals, volunteers, and community members who are working to find a safe and effective vaccine to prevent HIV.

Recently this year, initial results from clinical trials using an mRNA platform technology were presented, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and partners showed preliminary data on immune responses and safety from the G002 and G003 studies (https://www.iavi.org/iavi-report/dont-stop-believin-this-years-hiv-vaccine-research-theme/), highlighting as well its challenges as also appearing in a recent news article in Science (https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/hiv-vaccine-problems) bringing attention to some of its current limitations concerning side effects. As the trial will conclude in the first semester of 2024, the authors mentioned that follow-on efficacy trials will depend on the final immunogenicity results.

Other clinical trials are ongoing using various technologies in different settings, showing the global commitment to advancing the HIV vaccine portfolio with diverse approaches.

ISID joins this commemoration and the global efforts to strengthen the HIV vaccine pipeline and overcome its challenges.