title: Safety and immunogenicity of the malaria vaccine candidate GMZ2 in malaria-exposed, adult individuals from Lambaréné, Gabon.
abstract: Malaria is still one of the major public health threats in sub-Saharan Africa. An effective vaccine could be a sustainable control measure that can be integrated into existing health infrastructures. The malaria vaccine candidate GMZ2 is a recombinant fusion protein of conserved parts of Plasmodium falciparum Glutamate Rich Protein and Merozoite Surface Protein 3 adjuvanted with aluminium hydroxide. GMZ2 is immunogenic and well tolerated in malaria-naive adults from Germany. To assess safety and immunogenicity in malaria-exposed individuals, 40 adults from Lambaréné, Gabon were randomly assigned to receive either 100 μg GMZ2 or a rabies control vaccine three times in monthly intervals. Both vaccines were well tolerated. One month after a full course of vaccination, GMZ2-vaccinated individuals had 1.4-fold (95% confidence interval: [1.1, 1.7]) higher baseline-corrected anti-GMZ2 antibody levels and more GMZ2-specific memory B-cells compared to the rabies group (p=0.039), despite a high prevalence of GMZ2-specific immune reactivity due to previous intense exposure to P. falciparum.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Unit, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, BP 118 Lambaréné, Gabon. benjamin.mordmueller@uni-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mordmüller
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Szywon
authors.forename: Benedikt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Greutelaers
authors.forename: Meral
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esen
authors.forename: Ludovic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mewono
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Treut
authors.forename: Raymund E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Mürbeth
authors.forename: Roma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chilengi
authors.forename: Ramadhani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Noor
authors.forename: Wen L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Kilama
authors.forename: Egeruan Babatunde
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Imoukhuede
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Imbault
authors.forename: Odile
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Leroy
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Theisen
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jepsen
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Milligan
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fendel
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Kremsner
authors.forename: Saadou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Issifou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005681:Gabon; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C089133:merozoite surface protein 3, Plasmodium; C072492:glutamate-rich protein, Plasmodium