• Vaccine Name: P. falciparum DNA and MVA encoding ME-TRAP
• Target Pathogen: Plasmodium spp.
• Target Disease: Malaria
• Vaccine Ontology ID: VO_0000747
• Type: DNA vaccine
• Host Species for Licensed Use: Human
• Host Species as Laboratory Animal Model: human
• Antigen: Multiple epitope-thrombospondin-related adhesion protein (ME-TRAP)
• TRAP from P. falciparum gene engineering:
  • Type: Epitope construction used for delivery vector
  • Description: Multiple epitopes from the thrombospondin-related adhesion protein were prepared. The ME-TRAP were then introduced into three delivery vectors: DNA and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) (Dunachie et al., 2006).
  • Detailed Gene Information: Click Here.
• DNA vaccine plasmid:
  • DNA vaccine plasmid name:
  • DNA vaccine plasmid VO ID: VO_0000314
• Preparation: DNA and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) prime-boost regimes were assessed by using either thrombospondin-related adhesion protein (TRAP) with a multiple-epitope string ME (ME-TRAP) (Dunachie et al., 2006).
• Description: The T-cell responses induced by this prime-boost regime , in animals and humans, are substantially greater than the sum of the responses induced by DNA or MVA vaccines used alone, leading to the term introduced here of "synergistic" prime-boost immunisation.

Human Response

• Vaccination Protocol: Sixteen healthy subjects who never had malaria (malaria-naive subjects) received two priming vaccinations with DNA, followed by one boosting immunization with MVA, with ME-TRAP (Dunachie et al., 2006).
• Immune Response: The vaccines were well tolerated and immunogenic, with the DDM-ME TRAP regimen producing strong ex vivo IFN-gamma ELISPOT responses
• Challenge Protocol: Two weeks after the final vaccination, the subjects underwent P. falciparum sporozoite challenge, with six unvaccinated controls.
• Efficacy: One of eight subjects receiving the DDM-ME TRAP regimen was completely protected against malaria challenge, with this group as a whole showing significant delay to parasitemia compared to controls (P = 0.045). The peak ex vivo IFN-gamma ELISPOT response in this group correlated strongly with the number of days to parasitemia (P = 0.033). Therefore, prime-boost vaccination with DNA and MVA encoding ME-TRAP resulted in partial protection against P. falciparum sporozoite challenge in the present study (Dunachie et al., 2006).