NIH Awards Sanaria Two Grants Worth Potential $3.47M for Malaria Vaccine Development
NIH has awarded the Rockville, Md.-based company Sanaria two grants worth a potential $3.47 million to develop a malaria vaccine, the Gazette reports (Berberich, Gazette, 1/29). Sanaria in January 2006 began manufacturing the first installment of its malaria vaccine. The vaccine is distinct because, unlike malaria vaccines being produced by other companies, it was developed through the exposure of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite to radiation (GlobalHealthReporting.org, 1/18/06). The grants will go toward Phase I and II clinical trials. The Phase I grant will help the company find ways to preserve the vaccine. The Phase II grant will go toward developing different strains of the parasite that can help determine the vaccine's effectiveness (Gen News Highlights, 1/29). The total first-year award for the grants is $1.21 million. If Sanaria's progress is satisfactory, continued funding in the second and third years will bring the total to $3.47 million (Sanaria release, 1/29). The grants, which are awarded through the Small Business Innovation Research program and administered through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, bring NIH's total funding for Sanaria to $8.25 million (Gazette, 1/29).
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