1 Fauci AS An HIV vaccine is essential for ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

2 Flynn NM

Forthal DN

Harro CD

et al. Placebo-controlled phase 3 trial of a recombinant glycoprotein 120 vaccine to prevent HIV-1 infection.

3 Pitisuttithum P

Gilbert P

Gurwith M

et al. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy trial of a bivalent recombinant glycoprotein 120 HIV-1 vaccine among injection drug users in Bangkok, Thailand.

4 Buchbinder SP

Mehrotra DV

Duerr A

et al. Efficacy assessment of a cell-mediated immunity HIV-1 vaccine (the Step Study): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, test-of-concept trial.

5 Gray GE

Allen M

Moodie Z

et al. Safety and efficacy of the HVTN 503/Phambili study of a clade-B-based HIV-1 vaccine in South Africa: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled test-of-concept phase 2b study.

6 Hammer SM

Sobieszczyk ME

Janes H

et al. Efficacy trial of a DNA/rAd5 HIV-1 preventive vaccine.

7 Rerks-Ngarm S

Pitisuttithum P

Nitayaphan S

et al. Vaccination with ALVAC and AIDSVAX to prevent HIV-1 infection in Thailand.

7 Rerks-Ngarm S

Pitisuttithum P

Nitayaphan S

et al. Vaccination with ALVAC and AIDSVAX to prevent HIV-1 infection in Thailand.

7 Rerks-Ngarm S

Pitisuttithum P

Nitayaphan S

et al. Vaccination with ALVAC and AIDSVAX to prevent HIV-1 infection in Thailand.

8 Haynes BF

Gilbert PB

McElrath MJ

et al. Immune-correlates analysis of an HIV-1 vaccine efficacy trial.

9 Rolland M

Edlefsen PT

Larsen BB

et al. Increased HIV-1 vaccine efficacy against viruses with genetic signatures in Env V2.

10 Corey L

Gilbert PB

Tomaras GD

Haynes BF

Pantaleo G

Fauci AS Immune correlates of vaccine protection against HIV-1 acquisition.

11 Barouch DH

Liu J

Li H

et al. Vaccine protection against acquisition of neutralization-resistant SIV challenges in rhesus monkeys.

12 Vaccari M

Gordon SN

Fourati S

et al. Adjuvant-dependent innate and adaptive immune signatures of risk of SIVmac251 acquisition.

A preventive vaccine is an essential part of the strategy to eradicate the HIV pandemic.Although the search for an AIDS vaccine has led to many scientific advances, a vaccine remains out of reach. Major impediments include the protean ability of HIV to mutate rapidly and the lack of definitive correlates of vaccine protection. Over the years, a multitude of vaccine methodologies have been tested, but few have progressed to efficacy trialsand only one provided evidence for protection.Current HIV vaccine efficacy trials aim to improve on the success of the RV144 trialin Thailand, which showed a modest 31·2% protection. Analysis of RV144 by an extensive consortium of investigators suggested that antibodies targeting conserved regions within the HIV-1 envelope (Env) variable loop 2 and antibodies mediating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity correlated with a decreased risk of HIV infection.In support of the RV144 data, experiments in monkey models with several vaccine prototypes have shown a correlation between non-neutralising antibodies and protection from experimental challenges.