Adjuvanting a viral vectored vaccine against pre-erythrocytic malaria (2017, Scientific Reports)

Most current vaccines require two or three doses to provide full protection. Achieving this with a single injection would significantly improve global vaccine uptake, a need further emphasized by recent disease outbreaks. Viral vectored vaccines are a successful vaccine modality due to their safety and intrinsic ability to stimulate the immune system.
This study explores whether adding vaccine adjuvants can further improve the effectiveness of an adenovirus-vectored (Ad) malaria vaccine in mice and reduce prime-boost immunisation to a single injection. We tested eleven different adjuvants and found that only two, Abisco®-100 and CoVaccineHT™, enhanced the Ad vaccine's ability to protect against malaria challenge. Both adjuvants also increased the proportion of specific T cells important for long-term protection.
Our findings demonstrate that adjuvants can boost the effectiveness of vaccines that rely on T cell responses, suggesting that single-dose immunisation with potent vaccine modalities may be achievable for diseases like malaria.