Initial success in human clinical trials has given hope for the next stage in the development of a new malaria vaccine.
In a world first, researchers from Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics trialed the use of a whole parasite blood-stage malaria vaccine in human volunteers that has yielded safe and immunogenic outcomes. The study team also included clinicians from the Gold Coast University Hospital.
A single dose of the trial vaccine was administered to volunteers at Griffith’s Clinical Trial Unit who were healthy, malarial-naïve males aged 18-60 and it induced a broad parasite-specific cellular immune response that recognised different malaria parasites and did not adversely affect the volunteers.
The results of the trial have been published in BMC Medicine.
Professor Michael Good AO and Dr Danielle Stanisic have been developing this novel malaria vaccine since 2010.
The next step in the development of the vaccine is a 30-person trial at Griffith’s Clinical Trial Unit which will involve evaluating its effectiveness.
This project is being enabled by the Malaria Vaccine Project, which is a partnership between Rotary District 9640 and the Institute for Glycomics that aims to raise funds to support the clinical trial.
More funds are needed to continue the clinical trials.Make an impact on this important research, donate here – you could save many lives!
Malaria Vaccine Project 