SBIR-STTR Award

The overarching objective of this proposal is the identification of novel vaccination regimen sleading to improved malaria vaccine efficacy The medical need for such a vaccine remains compelling To accomplish this goal two attenuated heterologous viral vaccine vectors recombinant vesicular stomatitis virusr VSV and recombinant Isfahan virus rISFV abundantly expressing Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite surface protein CSP will be generated and characterized in vitro Specific Aim Vector safety will be confirmed in a mouse intracranial neurovirulence model Specific Aim and CSP specific immune responses will be assessed in mice to determine an optimal heterologous prime boost vaccination regimen Specific Aim Both vectors are attenuated and replication competent they are serologically distinct and phylogenetically divergent reducing potential immunological cross reactivity between them We expect that both vectors used in heterologous prime boost vaccination regimens will elicit very robust and durable CSP specific cellular and humoral immune responses Because current malaria vaccines have demonstrated only modest protection from disease new and improved malaria vaccines and vaccine regimens are urgently needed to protect the millions of people at risk from this widespread and deadly disease