Launch of SysMalVac, a Project That Could Identify New Biomarkers for Evaluating Malaria Vaccine Efficacy

The official launch of SysMalVac took place at a meeting of the project's partners held in Barcelona on 23-24 January. The project, which is being conducted with the collaboration of seven European centers, is designed to identify malaria protection biomarkers to evaluate malaria vaccine efficacy. It is being coordinated by CRESIB, ISGlobal's research arm, and will receive €2,803,651 from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme.

SysMalVac's researchers will apply transcriptome and systems biology techniques to identify protective immune responses elicited by the RTS,S malaria vaccine and other immunization strategies. According to Carlota Dobaño, coordinator of the project, the identification of malaria protection biomarkers would help to reduce the cost and duration of clinical trials and speed up the development of new vaccines.

The meeting was attended by 20 representatives from the seven participating centres:

• Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB)
• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
• Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
• Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre
• Stichting Biomedical Primate Research Centre
• Anaxomics
• Progenika