Last updated: 08/04/08
Students injected with HIV

York students are being paid £630 to be injected with a non infectious form of HIV.

The programme forms part of clinical trials aimed at finding a cure for the disease.

The university’s biology department are carrying out the trials - who earlier this year ran into controversy after a report claimed the department’s lecturers paid “little or no attention” to the health and safety of students after losing a radioactive chemical.

Nurse specialist Tina Ramsey said: “We have done other studies here, but nothing as cutting edge as this.”

“If we were to develop a vaccine for HIV, it could save millions of lives and prevent a huge amount of suffering across the world.”

“We are extremely proud to be playing a part in that and we hope that we can be instrumental in developing a vaccine that is going to make a difference.”

Female volunteers need to be aged between 18 and 45 and in good health.
They will have to attend 15 sessions over a period of 13 weeks and will be given nine vaccines.

Ramsey said: “The vaccine contains a non-infectious part of the virus that allows the body to recognise the characteristics of the HIV virus and develop antibodies against it.

“The whole HIV virus is not present in the vaccine and this means there is no possible way that the vaccine could cause HIV infection or AIDS.”

“At the end, the women will have to come back for four more visits so we can test for immunological - type responses to ascertain whether they have developed a level of antibodies that would protect them against HIV.”

by Adam Thorn