«We are pleased to have demonstrated such a potent and
durable immune response to the vaccine,» said the study's lead author, Sita Awasthi, PhD, a research associate professor of Infectious Diseases at Penn. «If found effective in clinical trials, the vaccine will have a huge impact on reducing the overall prevalence of genital herpes infections and could reduce new HIV infections as well, especially in high - burden regions of sub-Saharan Africa.»