Seattle BioMed's GAP Vaccine
Developed by Seattle BioMed’s Stefan Kappe, Ph.D., a promising genetically attenuated whole parasite (GAP) malaria vaccine candidate has proven 100 percent protective, 100 percent of the time in mouse studies. This approach to vaccine development – using a weakened form of the whole organism that causes a particular disease – has proven successful in eradicating smallpox, as well as controlling diseases such as flu and polio, but has never been used for fighting human parasites. Through precise deletion of two key genes in the parasite, Kappe and his team have developed a live vaccine that gives protection and yields accurate, reproducible results over time.
In 2010, Seattle BioMed began testing the GAP vaccine in humans at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), a longtime collaborator with Seattle BioMed.
Bill Gates (left) discusses Seattle BioMed's GAP approach with Dr. Stefan Kappe. Kappe was awarded a Grand Challenges in Global Health Award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study a weakened whole organism malaria vaccine.