New malaria vaccine demonstrates efficacy in field trial

A study carried out by the University of Oxford has demonstrated the potential benefits offered by a new malaria vaccine.

The T cell-inducing vaccination strategy was trialled in Kenya among adults living in a malaria-endemic area, with the treatment combining the recombinant chimpanzee adenovirus 63 and the modified vaccinia Ankara.

It was found to be 67 percent effective against infection with Plasmodium falciparum, one of the parasites known to cause malaria.

Professor Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, said: "Such high efficacy in this first field trial is encouraging for further testing in children and infants who most need a malaria vaccine."

This clinical trial was funded by the Malaria Vectored Vaccines Consortium, a five-year project set up to organise clinical trials of viral vectored malaria vaccine candidates in Africa.

Malaria is found in more than 100 countries, most of which are in tropical regions. In 2012, there were 207 million cases of malaria worldwide and 627,000 deaths.