The Canadian Press

A nurse draws the H1N1 vaccine into a syringe at a vaccination clinic at the Tom Brown Arena in Ottawa on Monday, Nov. 2, 2009. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Pawel Dwulit)

TORONTO — Canadian researchers are going to study H1N1 vaccine safety and dosage needs in people living with HIV.

The study, led by scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa, will look at how people with HIV respond to vaccine including an adjuvant, an additive that boosts response to the vaccine.

The trial will include 150 HIV-positive volunteers, half of whom will receive one dose of the vaccine, and half of whom will receive an initial dose followed by a booster shot 21 days later.

Lead investigator Dr. Curtis Cooper says it's important to figure out how to best protect people with HIV, because they are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill if they catch the flu.

The study is one of the first in the world to look at this issue, though U.S. researchers have already launched a trial looking at how to best use vaccine without adjuvant in this patient group.

The study is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research through the PHAC-CIHR Influenza Research Network.