20 years of Army research yields hope for malaria vaccine

By Valecia DunbarOctober 16, 2013

20 years of Army research yields hope for malaria vaccine
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON (Oct. 16, 2013) - Reports of the successful trials that could lead to the world's first malaria vaccine led the headlines of international news outlets this past week. Hidden within the story line is the critical role of researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, or WRAIR, who have worked steadfastly for more than 20 years to help bring the vaccine to reality.

"Congratulations are due to the many former and current WRAIR investigators who have helped to develop and test this vaccine over the last 20 years," said Col. Robert Paris, director of the U.S. Military Malaria Research Program at WRAIR.

Results of the RTS,S phase III vaccine trial being conducted in Africa were presented at the 6th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Pan-African Conference, Oct. 8, by Dr. Lucas Otieno, principal investigator at U.S. Army Medical Research Unit-Kenya, also known as USAMRU-K. Otieno has been involved in the "The Walter Reed Project" trials since 2005 and works from the campus of the Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya.

The phase III study involved more than 15,000 children across 11 sites in seven African countries. The results demonstrated a 46 percent reduction in clinical malaria episodes among infants and children vaccinated at five to 17 months of age, and 27 percent among infants vaccinated at six to 12 weeks.

According to the World Health Organization, malaria infected about 219 million people in 2010 and killed about 660,000 of them. Young children in Africa are most affected, with a child dying every minute from malaria.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year. Although initial results indicate positive outcomes over the short term, results over the long term suggest the effectiveness of the vaccine decreases over time. Ongoing research will explore whether a booster dose can increase protection over the long term (after 18 months) as well as other tools, such as the use of bed nets, to reduce risk.

The successful trials give hope that a malaria vaccine will be available by 2015, the same year in which Glaxo Smith Kline announced it will seek licensure with the European Medicines Agency, the European model of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The USAMRU-K Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases is the Kenyan arm of the U.S. Department of Defense Global Emerging Infectious Surveillance and Response System, or DOD-GEIS, a core component of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.

USAMRU-K is located in Nairobi, Kenya on the campus of the Kenya Medical Research Institute and is one of five U.S. DOD overseas research laboratories. Being part of the global DOD GEIS partnership, USAMRU-K DEID promotes and facilitates national and international preparedness for emerging infections to protect the health of the public at large and U.S. DOD personnel.

For additional information, please visit:

USAMRU Kenya: http://www.usamrukenya.org/

USAMRU-K DEID: http://usamrukenya-deid.org/

Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) Path: http://www.malariavaccine.org/about-overview.php

Army Medicine: http://armymedicine.mil/Pages/Home.aspx

Medical Research and Materiel Command: https://mrmc.amedd.army.mil/

Related Links:

Army Medicine

USAMRU-K DEID

Office of the Surgeon General/U.S. Army Medical Command

Army News Service

Malaria vaccine developed at WRAIR ranks second among "Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of 2011"

Army.mi: Health News

STAND-TO!: U.S. Army Researchers Step Closer to Malaria Vaccine in Kenya

Malaria Vaccine Initiative Path

USAMRU Kenya

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

Medical Research and Materiel Command

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Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Facebook