The first jabs have been given as part of a trial to develop an effective vaccine against HIV.
The first HIV vaccinations have been administered to volunteers as part of the Oxford University trial.
Thirteen healthy, HIV-negative adults, aged 18-65 and who are considered not to be at high risk of infection, received one dose of the vaccine on Monday.
This will be followed by a further booster dose in four weeks and scientists hope it could strike a critical blow against the disease.
What is your view? Have your say in the comment section
The first person to receive the vaccine was Danilo Garrido Alves, a human rights law student at the University of Oxford who volunteered after seeing a Facebook advert.
He said he wanted “to contribute a little bit to the human rights cause of HIV” and was “excited to play a role” in what could be a historic moment in medical history.
The phase 1 clinical trial aims to evaluate its safety and ability of the vaccine to prime the immune system.
Researchers are testing a vaccine which combines a range of HIV variants that makes it potentially applicable to all global strains.
Lead researcher Prof Tomas Hanke said: “An effective HIV vaccine has been elusive for 40 years.
“This trial is the first in a series of evaluations of this novel vaccine strategy in HIV-negative individuals for prevention and in people living with HIV for cure.”
The researchers hope to report on the results of the trial by next April.
