A review of malaria vaccine clinical projects based on the WHO rainbow table

Abstract

Development and Phase 3 testing of the most advanced malaria vaccine, RTS,S/AS01, indicates that malaria vaccine R&D is moving into a new phase. Field trials of several research malaria vaccines have also confirmed that it is possible to impact the host-parasite relationship through vaccine-induced immune responses to multiple antigenic targets using different platforms. Other approaches have been appropriately tested but turned out to be disappointing after clinical evaluation.As the malaria community considers the potential role of a first-generation malaria vaccine in malaria control efforts, it is an apposite time to carefully document terminated and ongoing malaria vaccine research projects so that lessons learned can be applied to increase the chances of success for second-generation malaria vaccines over the next 10 years.The most comprehensive resource of malaria vaccine projects is a spreadsheet compiled by WHO thanks to the input from funding agencies, sponsors and investigators worldwide. This spreadsheet, available from WHO's website, is known as "the rainbow table". By summarizing the published and some unpublished information available for each project on the rainbow table, the most comprehensive review of malaria vaccine projects to be published in the last several years is provided below.

ThePlasmodium falciparumblood stages acquire factor H family proteins to evade destruction by human complement

“…Hodder et al , 2001; Miura et al , 2009; Reiling et al , 2012; Schwartz et al , 2012). In a new study, however, Boyle et al (2015) demonstrated that acquired invasion‐inhibitory antibodies act through binding of C1q and activation of the classical complement pathway rather than by functionally inhibiting invasion.…”

New approaches in antimalarial drug discovery and development: a review

“…In particular, RTS,S/AS01E, a vaccine based on the P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein and blood stage parasite proteins, has demonstrated promising results , Agnandji et al 2011, Schwartz et al 2012. Vaccines based on the anti-merozoite surface protein of blood stages (McCarthy et al 2011) and a transmission-blocking vaccine (Herrera et al 2007, Arevalo-Herrera 2010, Gregory et al 2012) are being tested.…”

Regulation of Plasmodium falciparum Development by Calcium-dependent Protein Kinase 7 (PfCDPK7)

“…Despite recent promises exhibited by some of the vaccine candidates, there are no approved malarial vaccines on the horizon (1). The rapid rise in resistance of malaria parasites against existing antimalarial drugs has emerged as a major problem in the treatment of the disease.…”