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PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative Creates New Central 'Reference' Lab, Standardizing Ability to Measure Performance of Malaria Vaccine Formulation
Source: PR Newswire
08/20/2012
The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) will collaborate with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and Imperial College London on measuring the capacity of different vaccine candidates in human clinical testing to elicit an immune response that will protect against deadly malaria parasites. “Until now, malaria vaccine scientists have struggled to directly compare the cellular immune response elicited in humans by one vaccine to that of another, and this has hampered the ability to prioritize a portfolio of vaccine candidates,” said Dr. David C. Kaslow, director of MVI. IAVI and Imperial College London will provide the Interferon-gamma ELISpot assay and a multi-color flow cytometry assay for MVI and its collaborators as they move vaccine candidates into clinical trials. The tests will be used to detect the disease-fighting cells, or T cells, that may be present in the blood of volunteers after vaccination. The tests will help MVI prioritize investments and allow scientists to refine vaccine strategies by showing whether a particular formulation, delivery approach, or vaccine adjuvant elicits a superior cell-mediated immune response, added Kaslow.
