On Dec. 20, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced approval of the first and only preventative HIV vaccine based on a genetically modified killed whole virus has received approval by to start human clinical trials.

Developed by Dr. Chil-Yong Kang and his team at The University of Western Ontario, with the support of Sumagen Canada, the vaccine (SAV001) held tremendous promise, having already been proven to stimulate strong immune responses in preliminary toxicology tests with no adverse effects or safety risks. It was the only HIV vaccine currently under development in Canada, and one of only a few in the world to date.