Start of a Malaria Vaccine Trial in Ghana

The Bernhard Nocht Institute`s Ghanaian research centre KCCR is part of a multinational partnership conducting Phase II field trials for a new malaria vaccine candidate launched recently.

Malaria is a major cause of death for children in sub-Sahara Africa. The field trials in eight African study centres assess the immunological impact and safety of a promising malaria vaccine candidate.

The Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) is a joint venture of the Hamburg-based Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) and the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. "Being appointed as a study site in this partnership is a milestone for Kumasi`s recognition as an international research platform," says Rolf Horstmann, co-ordinator for research in the tropics at BNITM.

Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Evans of BNITM and Prof. Tsiri Agbenyega, Dean of the School of Medical Sciences in Kumasi are the principal investigators at KCCR, which is one of two Ghanaian study sites. The study sites have recruited a total of 540 children ages 5-17 months to participate under close medical monitoring. "We will be examining different formulations and schedules for vaccination to see how these factors my influence outcomes" Dr. Evans states. "The studies are a critical step in making a malaria vaccine a reality for the people in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa. The results of previous studies were already very encouraging."

However, patience is needed. If all goes well the vaccine could be submitted to regulatory authorities as early as 2010. The vaccine does not prevent all vaccinees from becoming infected with malaria parasites, but it does help to reduce the number of clinical episodes of malaria and the risk of developing severe malaria disease. Worldwide, an estimated 1,000,000 people die of malaria annually, most of them children below five years of age.

The vaccine named RTS,S was developed by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and partners in the US beginning in the late 1980s. Pilot studies conducted in adults showed its protective potential against Plasmodium falciparum, the pathogen causing the most severe form of malaria. Subsequently the vaccine was developed for infants and young children in co-operation with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, a programme largely financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

BNI would like to acknowledge its esteemed Ghanaian partners:

- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana

- School of Medical Sciences (SMS), College of Health Sciences of KNUST

- Presbyterian Health Service Agogo, Ghana

- Kintampo Health Research Centre

- Ministry of Health of the Republic of Ghana

TV coverage: The German TV science show "Nano" will broadcast a documentary of the launch and local ceremony for the field trial in Ghana on Wednesday, 29.11.2006 at 18.30 local time (3sat).

***

Bernhard Nocht Institute and Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR): Founded 1900, the Bernhard Nocht Institute is the oldest and largest research institute for tropical medicine in Germany. Research activities focus on malaria, amoebiasis and tropical fever viruses. The Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) was founded in 1997 as a joint venture between the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology of Kumasi and BNI. The KCCR campus offers modern laboratories for biomedical research as well as offices, transport facilities and administrative support for visiting international scientists. The main objective of the Centre is to develop a series of world-standard research programmes through the acquisition of research grants. Within this context, high priority is given to the training of Ghanaian postgraduates and technical staff.

The long-standing co-operation is founded on a state agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the City State of Hamburg, which greatly facilitates the running of projects by enabling the import and export of equipment and material for Ghanaian-international projects. KCCR is open for external researchers, provided a Ghanaian co-principal investigator is included in the project.

Bernhard Nocht Institute on the web: http://www.bni-hamburg.de

KCCR website: http://www.kccr-ghana.org

PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative http://www.malariavaccine.org

GlaxoSmithKline http://www.gsk.com