A potential AIDS vaccine developed by U.S. scientists begins human safety testing in London this week, vaccine backers will announce today.

If it works, HGP-30 might have an advantage over others, some scientists say. It contains a harmless, synthetic copy of an AIDS virus protein that's found in all strains of the virus.

Ideally, a vaccine also would stimulate immune responses that would kill the virus and infected cells. Test-tube studies indicate HGP-30 may do that, [Allan Goldstein] says.