22 April 2009 - Oxford, UK, Rockville, MD (USA), Cape Town, South Africa - A Phase IIb clinical trial will test some 2800 South African children under the age of one year for the safety and immunogenicity of a promising new TB vaccine developed at the University of Oxford. Researchers will also seek to obtain preliminary efficacy data for the vaccine. This is the first proof-of-concept trial of a new preventive TB vaccine in infants in more than 80 years.
The Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, the Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium Ltd, Isis Innovation Ltd., the Wellcome Trust and the University of Cape Town are collaborating on the project. The study will be conducted by the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) of the University of Cape Town in the Western Cape Region.