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South African lab technician Nozipho Mlotshwa and her colleagues had high hopes when they began testing a potential HIV vaccine using the same mRNA technology that made COVID-19 vaccines possible. Their early results were promising, showing positive immune responses in rabbits. However, this excitement came to an abrupt halt when the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) instructed them to cease their work, in line with a broader freeze on foreign aid implemented by the Trump administration in January 2024.
The freeze on USAID funding is a result of President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy, which suspended all foreign development assistance for 90 days to reassess its alignment with U.S. priorities. The BRILLIANT project, a South African-led HIV vaccine initiative, was one of the casualties of this freeze. Funded by a $45 million USAID grant, the project aimed to develop the world’s first HIV vaccine using mRNA technology, but now, all progress is stalled.
Mlotshwa, a 32-year-old lab technician at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, was disheartened as the blood samples from their trials remain untouched in a freezer. “This was very exciting,” she said. “We were getting quite good results.” Now, their work is in limbo, awaiting the outcome of the political landscape and the future of U.S. funding.
HIV Vaccine Research Takes a Step Back
The vaccine research led by Mlotshwa and her colleagues was part of a much larger international effort to create an HIV vaccine, a goal that has eluded scientists for decades. Since the virus’s discovery in 1983, HIV’s ability to mutate rapidly has stymied efforts to create an effective vaccine. The team in Johannesburg, however, was making strides by using genetic sequences from two South African HIV patients who produce rare antibodies that neutralize the virus. They were working to replicate that immune response using mRNA technology—a promising breakthrough that has been successful for COVID-19 vaccines.
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Despite their encouraging results, the halt in USAID funding has cast a shadow over the BRILLIANT project. “We were gaining momentum,” said Patrick Arbuthnot, the director of the Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, where the vaccine was being developed. He called an HIV vaccine “the holy grail of the field,” making the setback particularly painful for the researchers.
In addition to the freeze on the HIV vaccine trial, USAID’s cuts also impacted a separate trial for another vaccine candidate, which was about to be tested on humans in South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda. Both trials, part of a larger global initiative, now face an uncertain future as the U.S. government re-evaluates its foreign aid strategy.
The Impact of Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze
The decision to halt funding for HIV vaccine research is part of a broader pattern of consequences stemming from the Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze. The freeze has had a devastating effect on global health research, including disrupting efforts to combat food security, halt pest-related crop diseases, and delay the publication of crucial scientific papers.
South Africa, home to the largest population of people living with HIV in the world (more than 8 million), has long been a global hub for HIV research. Many groundbreaking studies and clinical trials have been conducted in the country, often with funding from international partners, including the United States.
However, as USAID’s contribution is now suspended, the future of these important research initiatives looks bleak. The South African Medical Research Council, a leader in HIV vaccine research, relies on U.S. federal funding for a significant portion of its work, including studies related to HIV, tuberculosis, maternal health, and antimicrobial resistance. With U.S. funding effectively frozen, it is unclear how these projects will continue.
“We do not expect funding for projects like BRILLIANT to resume,” said Ntobeko Ntusi, CEO of the South African Medical Research Council. This sentiment is shared by many in the global health community, who fear that the gap in funding will be difficult to fill by other sources.
A Setback in the Fight Against HIV
The BRILLIANT project had a unique distinction in its approach to the HIV vaccine: it was an Africa-led initiative. Unlike other vaccine development efforts that are often controlled by Western countries, BRILLIANT sought to build local capacity to develop and produce vaccines in Africa, rather than relying on external suppliers. This approach was hailed as a significant step forward for both global health and for African-led innovation in vaccine development.
However, with U.S. funding cut off, many of these efforts are in jeopardy. “We had a huge opportunity, good funding,” said Nigel Garrett, Chief Scientific Officer at the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, a partner in the project. “It’s difficult for other funders to fill that gap.”
As the blood samples for the vaccine trials remain in storage and researchers await the possibility of resumed funding, the global fight against HIV faces another setback. Researchers in Johannesburg, along with others around the world, continue to hope for the day when they can finally make a breakthrough in the search for an HIV vaccine—a goal that, for now, seems further away than ever.
The Global Implications of the Freeze
While the immediate impact of the USAID funding freeze is felt in South Africa, the consequences of the halt in research extend far beyond the country’s borders. If the HIV vaccine trials cannot continue, it will be a significant blow to the worldwide effort to control and eventually eliminate the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The BRILLIANT project’s delay is just one example of how the broader political landscape can have far-reaching consequences for global health. As the U.S. government assesses its foreign aid strategy, researchers, health workers, and patients alike are left waiting for answers about when—or if—these critical programs can resume.
