Felipe García´s group
Description
Clinical trials with therapeutic and preventive vaccine.
Long-term non progressors and elite controllers.
Our research group have been working in this field for the last 17 years focused in two topics of HIV research:
- Development and clinical trials of therapeutic and preventive vaccines
- Immunopathogenesis of HIV infection
These 2 topics are narrowly related and we have projects in these 2 fields.
Development and clinical trials of therapeutic and preventive vaccines
Our group has been involved in pivotal studies from more than 20 years including therapeutic vaccines based using dendritic cells as adjuvant, peptides and GMO (genetically modified organism) as ALVAC and MVA. In addition, we have performed the first in Spain phase I clinical trial of a preventive vaccine based on a candidate developed in the AIDS Research Network (RIS). We participate in national and international networks for the development of an HIV vaccine as EUROPRISE, RIS, Bill Gatell Foundation, HIVACAT, IHIVARNA, EHVA, EAVI, HIVACAR…Our next future goals are to develop a functional cure of HIV infection using therapeutic vaccines and to continue the development of HIV preventive candidates from HIVACAT or other collaborations.
Immunopathogenesis of HIV infection
This topic is related to the vaccine line, since it is important to understand better the imunopathogenesis of HIV infection to develop a successful preventive or therapeutic vaccine. The understanding of the correlates of protection and control of HIV infection are of paramount importance to develop a vaccine. We have been working for years in patients with extreme phenotypes as long-term non progressors, elite controllers and also in highly exposed non infected individuals. In addition, we have developed clinical trials to test strategies for a better understanding of HIV infection, as using immunomodulators, antifibrotic agents, postexposure prophylaxis,…