American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
September 2014; 91 (3)
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/current

Editorial
The Ability to Inoculate Purified Malaria Sporozoites Will Accelerate Vaccine and Drug Discovery
Michael F. Good*
Author Affiliations
Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
The ability to infect a volunteer with malaria in a controlled and safe manner promises to be of enormous benefit to research programs aimed at developing malaria vaccines1 or novel antimalaria drugs.2 By challenging an individual in early-stage trials with a defined number of parasites of a specific laboratory strain in a controlled clinical environment, it is possible to derive more meaningful data and significantly reduce trial costs, thus facilitating product development. Research presented in this issue shows that it will now be possible for trial volunteers living in both malaria-endemic and non-endemic areas.3…

Current Strategic Thinking for the Development of a Trivalent Alphavirus Vaccine for Human Use
Daniel N. Wolfe*, D. Gray Heppner, Shea N. Gardner, Crystal Jaing, Lesley C. Dupuy, Connie S. Schmaljohn and Kevin Carlton
Author Affiliations
Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; TASC, Inc., Lorton, Virginia; Computations/Global Security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California; US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, Medical Countermeasure Systems, Joint Program Executive Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland
Abstract.
Vaccinations against the encephalitic alphaviruses (western, eastern, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus) are of significant interest to biological defense, public health, and agricultural communities alike. Although vaccines licensed for veterinary applications are used in the Western Hemisphere and attenuated or inactivated viruses have been used under Investigational New Drug status to protect at-risk personnel, there are currently no licensed vaccines for use in humans. Here, we will discuss the need for a trivalent vaccine that can protect humans against all three viruses, recent progress to such a vaccine, and a strategy to continue development to Food and Drug Administration licensure.