Placental Malaria (PM) represents a major health problem affecting particularly vulnerable demographic groups, pregnant women and their babies in Plasmodium falciparum endemic regions. An effective vaccine would be an attractive tool to control PM, acting early on during pregnancy and complementing other control strategies. The VAR2CSA pregnancy-specific variant of the P. falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 family is the leading target for such a vaccine.
ADVANCE-VAC4PM builds on the success of previous phase Ia/Ib clinical trials assessing two VAR2CSA-derived vaccine candidates, PRIMVAC and PAMVAC, in malaria-naïve and lifelong P. falciparum-exposed non-pregnant women. Both vaccine candidates were safe, well-tolerated and induced good homologous immune responses, demonstrating the feasibility of developing a PM vaccine. Building upon these results, the overall project objective is to advance the development of PM vaccine candidates and broaden the vaccines’ induced immune response by i) using a novel vaccine platform based on capside-Virus-Like Particles (cVLPs) to display PAMVAC and ii) by evaluating if a PRIMVAC/PAMVAC-cVLP co-administration approach increases cross-reactivity and cross-inhibitory antibody titers.
These activities are embedded in capacity building activities e.g. workshops, training of MSc/PhD students, mentorship program for African early career researchers and development of immunology laboratory capacity.
In preparation of future PM vaccine trials, digital tools, the potential cost-effectiveness of a PM vaccine introduction and the feasibility and acceptability of PM vaccines are being evaluated. Awareness on the need for a PM vaccine will be raised in stakeholder engagement activities.
