MVI and SBRI to establish malaria vacc human testing facility

In an effort to expedite the clinical assessment of malaria vaccine candidates, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative and the USA-based Seattle Biomedical Research Institute have announced plans for a new purpose-built testing center. The new Human Challenge Center, which will be located at the SRBI, is one of the first undertakings outlined in the collaboration deal signed by MVI and SBRI in 2007 (Marketletters passim).

One of the main focuses of the new facility will be to combine scientific and clinical research in the optimization of potential vaccine candidates for subsequent assessment in malaria challenge testing. The idea is that the capabilities of the HCC will enable researchers to improve the selection of vaccines for further development and, more broadly, provide additional insights into the various mechanisms of malarial immunity and related vaccine-based therapies.