Malaria Vaccine Development Unit (mvdu)

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Malaria Vaccine Development Unit (MVDU) General Description: The Malaria Vaccine Development Unit (MVDU) headed by Dr. Louis Miller is a new NIAID initiative to respond to the global need for vaccines against malaria. This effort has been given additional impetus during the past year by the attention focused on this issue by Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, NIAID, and by support for malaria announced by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The MVDU opened officially on May 6 at a ceremony hosted by Dr. Anthony Fauci. We are beginning to produce cGMP proteins and including formulations for vaccine trials that should start next year. The MVDU is focusing primarily on recombinant proteins derived from asexual blood stages and sexual stages of malaria parasite development. Immunity to the blood stages would primarily be designed to reduce pathology associated with malaria while immunity to the sexual stages would be designed to reduce transmission via the mosquito vector and eliminate the infection in certain parts of the world where transmission is low. To accomplish these goals, the MVDU has facilities for protein expression in a variety of recombinant systems as well as subsequent purification and analysis. The process for some proteins has been completed, and they are produced for human trials. The process development and production of clinical grade material is now a priority. The whole unit is now converted to an industrial type lab with the institution of industrial type control on quality. We are now strengthening the component for clinical trials both in the US and in Mali.