Electroporation (EP)-related technical errors experienced during an HIV vaccine clinical trial conducted in Rwanda and Uganda: lessons learned

Background Intracellular DNA vaccine delivery is essential for antigen expression and induction of immune response. Unfortunately, conventional intramuscular injection provides low efficiency DNA uptake and suboptimal immunogenicity. Electroporation-based DNA vaccination can enhance potency by 100-1000 fold. In this trial we used the TriGrid Delivery System by Ichor Medical Systems. We describe the electroporation technical errors that occurred during administration of an HIV pDNA vaccine in a clinical trial conducted at sites in Rwanda and Uganda and how those errors were resolved.