AdCh63 ME-TRAP and MVA ME-TRAP Malaria Vaccines Evaluation in Healthy Children in a Malaria Endemic Area

Safety and Immunogenicity of Heterologous Prime-boost Vaccination With the Candidate Malaria Vaccines AdCh63 ME-TRAP and MVA ME-TRAP in Healthy Infants in a Malaria- Endemic Area

Infants in malaria-endemic regions of Africa are an important target for vaccination against malaria in view of the enormous disease burden of malaria in this population. The purpose of this trial is to assess the safety and immunogenicity of MVA ME-TRAP and AdCH63 ME-TRAP candidate vaccines in healthy children in a malaria endemic region. The regimen proposed here has protected non-immune volunteers in Oxford against sporozoite challenge, and so may be protective against naturally acquired infection in the Gambia. Administration of AdCh63 ME-TRAP and MVA ME-TRAP to infants in this study will occur at intervals of at least two weeks from the administration of routine infant immunisations, given according to the Gambian EPI.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy infants aged 10 weeks and 5-12 months at the time of enrollment with consenting parents.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Clinically significant history of skin disorder (psoriasis, contact dermatitis etc.), allergy, symptomatic immunodeficiency, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, endocrine disorder, liver disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disease, neurological illness.
• Severe malnutrition.
• History of allergic disease or reactions likely to be exacerbated by any component of the vaccines, e.g. egg products, Kathon, neomycin, betapropiolactone.
• History of splenectomy Haemoglobin less than 8.0 g/dL, where judged to be clinically significant in the opinion of the investigator
• Serum Creatinine concentration greater than 70 mol/L, where judged to be clinically significant in the opinion of the investigator
• Serum ALT concentration greater than 45 U/L, where judged to be clinically significant in the opinion of the investigator
• Blood transfusion within one month of enrollment.
• History of vaccination with previous experimental malaria vaccines. -Administration of any other vaccine or immunoglobulin less than two weeks before vaccination with the IMPs Current participation in another clinical trial, or within 12 weeks of this study.
• Any other finding which in the opinion of the investigators would increase the risk of an adverse outcome from participation in the trial.
• Likelihood of travel away from the study area
• Maternal HIV infection Positive malaria antigen test at screening
• Failure to have received, prior to enrollment, the routine EPI vaccinations due according to the Gambian EPI schedule.