A South African laboratory technician, Nozipho Mlotshwa, was in the process of awaiting test results for a potential HIV vaccine, a goal that has remained elusive for researchers for many years, when she received an order from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to cease her work.
The initial batch of vaccines developed by Mlotshwa and her team in Johannesburg had shown a promising immune response in rabbits, although the results were not definitive. Consequently, they modified the formula and dispatched four new variants for pre-clinical evaluation.
“This was very exciting. We were getting quite good results,” stated Mlotshwa, 32, during an interview with Reuters at the Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
Currently, the animal blood samples containing their findings remain stored and untouched in a freezer. Additionally, a trial for a previous vaccine candidate, which was set to be tested on human subjects in South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda, has also been halted.
Both trials have been adversely affected by former US President Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle USAID. They are part of a broader South African-led initiative for HIV vaccine development known as “BRILLIANT,” which is entirely financed by a $45 million grant from USAID. The future of the project remains uncertain.
