MVI Update

Dear friends of the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative,

MVI’s second quarter has been action-packed. Momentum is building in all three of our priority program areas—transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs), next-generation vaccines, and RTS,S.

Among the many exciting developments on the TBV front, MVI convened meetings of two technical consulting groups tasked with providing expert guidance on the feasibility of a traditional, cluster-randomized trial and on the potential for an alternative regulatory pathway as the basis of licensure of TBVs. For next-generation vaccines, MVI’s portfolio management committee approved the release of a request for proposals for manufacturing of pre-erythrocytic antigens—a key step in the process of identifying “new” target antigens for future vaccine development. This is the second MVI call for proposals in 2013, the first having focused on TBV expression and delivery technologies (see below for an update). And, RTS,S was among the five vaccines prioritized for further analysis during Phase 1 of GAVI’s recent Vaccine Investment Strategy review.

Another highlight of the second quarter was the many events marking World Malaria Day, which drew MVI staff as presenters and participants: in London and Lausanne, Brussels and Baltimore, in Washington, DC, and at Washington University.

While the above is only a fraction of MVI’s activities during the past three months to fulfill our mission of accelerating development of malaria vaccines and catalyzing timely access in endemic countries, nothing would be possible without the creative minds and committed hearts of Team MVI. Further below you will see mention of recent arrivals to MVI. I want to focus on one of these and also to share with you some exciting news about staffing changes for the MVI program and PATH overall.

On the first of July, MVI welcomed Chris Ockenhouse, MD, PhD, as MVI’s new senior clinical research scientist and medical officer. Chris brings to PATH more than two decades of experience in malaria vaccine research and development (R&D), adding his clinical expertise to that of Didier Leboulleux and others on the MVI team. While Chris’s primary focus will be on MVI’s translational R&D projects, he will also provide medical and scientific expertise on clinical malaria, clinical immunology, and trial design across our portfolio.

Chris is a practicing internist and infectious disease specialist with 25 years of experience leading R&D programs focused on discovery, process development, manufacture, and early clinical testing of multiple vaccine candidates against Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria. Prior to joining MVI, Chris was director of the Malaria Vaccine Program at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (also known as WRAIR), where he directed the formation and operations of the first joint US Army-Navy Military Malaria Vaccine Program within the Department of Defense dedicated to developing malaria vaccines. He recently retired from active duty as a colonel in the US Army.

I am also very excited to announce the appointment, effective today, of Ashley Birkett, PhD, as deputy director at MVI—a new position for the program. As MVI’s director of R&D, Ashley has been involved in every major R&D initiative at MVI since joining the program in 2008. He has more than 15 years of vaccine development experience, primarily with biotechnology companies, where he successfully advanced novel influenza and malaria vaccine candidates from research through first-in-human clinical studies. As R&D director, Ashley has led MVI’s efforts to support the development of TBVs, guided MVI’s portfolio of evaluation technology projects, and provided technical support to MVI’s two additional program areas: next-generation vaccines and the RTS,S program. Prior to joining MVI, he was senior director of preclinical research at Acambis (now Sanofi Pasteur Biologics Co.).

I am focusing attention on these two new appointments in particular because they speak to both the continuity of leadership and the continued infusion of new talent at MVI (see below for other additions to Team MVI). They also give me confidence as I prepare to assume the role of vice president of product development at PATH, a transition that will begin in October. In this new role, I will oversee PATH’s five product development programs that represent the organization’s portfolio of work in community-based interventions, devices, diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines. This means that I will continue to be involved in MVI’s work—and indeed will stay closely engaged with the RTS,S project in particular as it continues its progress through the development pipeline. Also, however, I will have the honor of working with the distinguished leaders of key PATH programs that together are developing the next generations of tools needed to realize our vision of a world where health is within reach for everyone.

I hope you will all join me in welcoming Chris to PATH and in congratulating Ashley on his new appointment. And I thank you for your continued interest in MVI’s efforts to help rid the world of malaria.

Sincerely,

David C. Kaslow, MD
Director

This issue: July 2013

Update on call for proposals

Malaria research & development funding report

MVI at MIM

Portfolio update

Publications of interest

Inside MVI

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