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EMVI/WHO EURHAVAC Workshop: "Optimising Decision Making Processes In Malaria Vaccine Design".


In collaboration with WHO/IVR, this workshop was held at the Staten’s Serum Institute in Copenhagen from 5 - 6 February 2008.  Transcription of the meeting minutes has been completed and we are now preparing a report which will soon be distributed to the attendees for review.

First Day

  1. Welcome by EMVI and WHO.
  2. Presentation of the objectives of the workshop.
  3. Presentation of the current selection criteria developed by EMVDA / AMANET.
  4. Update on the current global status of malaria vaccines.
  5. Presentation of the benchmarking of the different immunological criteria already selected by other groups for the development of sub-unit malaria vaccines based on the rainbow table:
    • Asexual blood stage vaccines
    • Pre-erythrocytic stage vaccine
    • Transmission blocking vaccines
    • Pregnancy-associated malaria vaccines
  6. Discussion of criteria and conceptualisation of how vaccine candidates may progress through the given criteria.
    • Case study on AMA1 - MSP1 WHO, and general update on AMA1 candidate portfolio.
    • Case study on GLURP EMVI.
    • Case study on Monash MSP4 and MSP5.
  7. Discussion:
    • What are the most relevant criteria for the selection of the antigen?
    • What are the most relevant criteria for the selection of production / expression systems, including manufacturing considerations?
    • What are the most relevant criteria for assessment of antigenicity?
    • What are the most relevant criteria for the assessment of optimisation of the immune response (adjuvant / presentation system)?

Workshop Dinner.

Second Day

  1. Assessment of the predictability of different assays based on the comparison of pre-clinical data with the human data (two case study vaccines):
    • Humoral response: ELISA, ELISPOT
    • Functionality of the response: GIA
    • Cellular immune response
  2. Assessment of the product specifications and quality controls with emphasis on purity and stability.
  3. Assessment of the production costs:
    • · Expected yield
    • · Current production cost
    • · Industrial scale up cost
  4. Discussion:
  5. Development of the decision process algorithm for malaria vaccine pharmaceutical development.
  6. Recommendations and closure of the workshop.