PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) Joins in Launch of Dedicated Malaria Vaccine Manufacturing Facility

The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) is providing partial support to Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd to establish a dedicated recombinant protein manufacturing facility in Pune, India to produce cGMP grade malaria vaccine candidates for use in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials.

Christian Loucq, MD, director of MVI, spoke at the inaugural event that marked the launch of the facility. Read the statement here.

Download a PDF version of the statement here.

Announcements

On May 28, 2008, the Prince of Asturias Foundation, presided over by the Crown Prince of Spain, bestowed its Award for International Cooperation on four African research centers, three of which are active partners with MVI on the world’s most advanced malaria vaccine candidate. Past winners of this prestigious award include Al Gore, Nelson Mandela, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

MVI Director Christian Loucq issued a congratulatory message to the recipients and the Foundation’s jury. Read the entire statement here.

The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) and Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI) are pleased to announce a new collaboration to establish a center devoted to testing the safety and efficacy of malaria vaccine candidates in humans. The new Human Challenge Center at SBRI will be one of only a handful of facilities of its kind worldwide and will help meet the growing demand to test new interventions against the deadly malaria parasite. Read the press release here.

MVI is pleased to announce the appointment of Ashley Birkett, PhD, as Director of Preclinical Research and Development. Dr. Birkett will lead the assessment of vaccine technologies for inclusion in MVI’s portfolio, as well as scientific and technical assessment of MVI’s ongoing projects. He also will oversee our relationships with those external partners engaged in MVI-supported preclinical R&D projects. View the press release here.

Intercell AG (VSE, "ICLL") and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative announce a new collaboration to evaluate Intercell's novel proprietary adjuvant IC31® in combination with recombinant malaria antigens from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read the press release.

The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative and partner, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, published recent Phase 2 trial results showing that the vaccine candidate, RTS,S, has a promising safety and tolerability profile and reduces malaria parasite infection and clinical illness due to malaria. This was the first RTS,S vaccine trial in African infants. To view the press kit please click here.

MVI Director, Dr. Christian Loucq and other members of staff participated in the October 16-18 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Malaria Forum. To learn more about the forum and to hear web casts of the forum, please visit the Kaiser Network.

Sanaria, Inc. and MVI held a grand opening, ribbon-cutting ceremony of the world’s first clinical manufacturing facility for a live, attenuated "whole-parasite" malaria vaccine. View the event program here. Download the press release here.

Malaria Vaccines for the World conference
Representatives of MVI participated in the first Malaria Vaccines for the World conference at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, Sept. 17–19. Read more.

Featured in July's National Geographic magazine, is a comprehensive article on Malaria and its impact— in Africa and around the globe. Read the article.

BBC World and Rockhopper TV invite you to watch the race toward one of the most urgently needed immunizations of our time: a vaccine to protect young African children against the deadly malaria parasite.

Kill or Cure? The Malaria Vaccine features two very different malaria vaccines, both backed by MVI. Read more.