Science/Medicine : AIDS Vaccine Testing Nears

An AIDS vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, based on his work in preventing polio, may be ready for testing in humans in January, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, said Monday.

“We don’t offer any false hopes or promises,” said Neil Flynn, who is chief of the AIDS unit at the University Medical Center in Sacramento. With this treatment, “in fact, the subject could get worse.”

The projected test of the vaccine on 40 patients requires prior approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The researchers have already worked with two batches of vaccine and are testing a third batch, which they expect to have ready for further experimentation in a matter of days.