Leiden, The Netherlands, 3 April 2008 - Dutch biotechnology company Crucell N.V. today announced that the novel recombinant adenovirus serotype 26 (rAd26) vector, which is jointly developed by Crucell and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), will be used in a phase I clinical study to test a new HIV vaccine. The rAd26 vector is specifically designed to avoid the pre-existing immunity to the more commonly used adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5), which has recently shown limitations as an HIV vaccine vector.
