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Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 2INTERVENTIONAL

Infant Malaria Vaccine Schedule Optimization

A Phase 2b Multicenter Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Study to Evaluate the Safety, Immunogenicity and Efficacy of R21/Matrix-M Malaria Vaccine in African Infants With Different Immunization Schedules

Infant Malaria Vaccine Schedule Optimization (NCT06879327) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Malaria Vaccines, sponsored by PATH. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

The aim of this study is to identify an optimal infant vaccine schedule for a malaria vaccine which is better aligned with the timing of other vaccine interventions.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Malaria Vaccines and continue monitoring side effects. Phase 2 enrolls larger groups (typically 100–300 patients) and produces the first real efficacy signal. A successful Phase 2 readout is what unlocks the much larger Phase 3 confirmatory trials needed for FDA approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

A target enrollment of 1,200 participants makes this a sizable late-stage trial. Studies in this range typically have enough power to detect clinically meaningful differences from a comparator and to characterize less-common side effects.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - Signed willing to sign a consent form or thumb-printed and witnessed willing to sign a consent form obtained from the parent/legal guardian of the infant. - Infants must have been born full-term (at ≥37 weeks of gestation) and \> 2500 grams at birth. - Immunization schedule Cohorts 1, 2, and 3: : Male and female infants 42-49 days (inclusive) of age at time of enrollment. For infants in Cohort 1, randomization to receive vaccine dose 1 (Groups 1 and 2 of R21/MM or placebo, respectively) will occur at 42-49 days of age. For infants in Cohort 2, randomization to receive vaccine dose 1 (Groups 3 and 4 of R21/MM or placebo, respectively) will occur at 2 months (56-63 days of age). For infants in Cohort 3, randomization to receive vaccine dose 1 (Groups 5 and 6 of R21/MM or placebo, respectively) will occur at 3 months (84-91 days of age). - The participant's parent/guardian must be willing to avoid travel, particularly in the 28 days after each study vaccination, must confirm willingness to contact the study team in the event of unexpected/unavoidable travel and, for the safety cohort, must confirm availability for the home visits to be conducted by a field worker to collect solicited AEs over the 7 days (day of vaccination and 6 subsequent days) following each study vaccine. - The participant's parent/guardian must confirm willingness to bring their child to the study clinic / local health care clinic, and capacity to contact the study team in the event the subject has any illnesses or other health concerns during the study. - Participants who the investigator believes that their parent/guardian can and will comply with the requirements of the protocol (e.g. return for follow-up visits) may be enrolled in the study. Who Should NOT Join This Trial: ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: * Signed informed consent or thumb-printed and witnessed informed consent obtained from the parent/legal guardian of the infant. * Infants must have been born full-term (at ≥37 weeks of gestation) and \> 2500 grams at birth. * Immunization schedule Cohorts 1, 2, and 3: : Male and female infants 42-49 days (inclusive) of age at time of enrollment. For infants in Cohort 1, randomization to receive vaccine dose 1 (Groups 1 and 2 of R21/MM or placebo, respectively) will occur at 42-49 days of age. For infants in Cohort 2, randomization to receive vaccine dose 1 (Groups 3 and 4 of R21/MM or placebo, respectively) will occur at 2 months (56-63 days of age). For infants in Cohort 3, randomization to receive vaccine dose 1 (Groups 5 and 6 of R21/MM or placebo, respectively) will occur at 3 months (84-91 days of age). * The participant's parent/guardian must be willing to avoid travel, particularly in the 28 days after each study vaccination, must confirm willingness to contact the study team in the event of unexpected/unavoidable travel and, for the safety cohort, must confirm availability for the home visits to be conducted by a field worker to collect solicited AEs over the 7 days (day of vaccination and 6 subsequent days) following each study vaccine. * The participant's parent/guardian must confirm willingness to bring their child to the study clinic / local health care clinic, and capacity to contact the study team in the event the subject has any illnesses or other health concerns during the study. * Participants who the investigator believes that their parent/guardian can and will comply with the requirements of the protocol (e.g. return for follow-up visits) may be enrolled in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Acute disease at the time of enrolment (acute disease is defined as the presence of a moderate or severe illness with or without fever. All vaccines can be administered to participants with a minor illness such as diarrhea, mild upper respiratory infection, without low-grade febrile illness, i.e. axillary temperature \< 37.5°C). * Clinically significant pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological, skin, hepatic or renal functional abnormality, as determined by medical history, physical examination or laboratory tests which, in the opinion of the Investigator, may either put the participants at risk because of participation in the trial, or may influence the result of the trial. * At time of enrollment, any infant who has received any dose of the hexavalent/pentavalent vaccines, pneumococcal vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, IPV or has received more than one dose of oral polio virus or more than one dose of hepatitis B vaccine. * Weight-for-height/length Z score of less than -3 or other clinical signs of malnutrition. * Infant with major congenital defects. * The infant has anaemia associated with clinical signs of symptoms of decompensation, or a haemoglobin of ≤ 5.0 g/dL. * History of allergic disease or reactions likely to be exacerbated by any component of the vaccines. * Any confirmed or suspected immunosuppressive or immunodeficient state (including HIV or asplenia) or known maternal HIV infection (no HIV testing will be routinely done by the study team). * Administration of immunoglobulins and/or any blood products/blood transfusion from birth to time of planned administration of the vaccine candidate. * Previous vaccination of participant or biological mother with a malaria vaccine. * Participation in another research study involving receipt of an investigational product or planned use during the study period. * Any other findings that the investigator feels would increase the risk of having an adverse outcome from participation in the trial.

Treatments Being Tested

BIOLOGICAL

R21 Matrix-M (R21/MM) Malaria Vaccine

Administered by intramuscular injection. Each 0.5 mL dose contains R21 Malaria Antigen (5 mcg) and Matrix-M1 (Adjuvant) (50 mcg).

BIOLOGICAL

Placebo

Administered by intramuscular injection. Each dose (0.5 mL) contains Normal saline (0.9%).

BIOLOGICAL

Hexavalent Vaccine

Administered by intramuscular injection. Each dose of 0.5 mL contains: * Diphtheria Toxoid \> 30 IU * Tetanus Toxoid \> 40 IU * B. pertussis (whole cell) \> 4 IU * Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) (recombinant DNA) 15 mcg * Inactivated polio vaccine (Salk strains grown on vero cells): Type - 1 (Mahoney strain) 40 D antigen units (DU); Type - 2 (MEF-1 strain) 8 DU; Type - 3 (Saukett strain) 32 DU * Haemophilus influenzae Type b (Hib) Conjugate Vaccine (Adsorbed) polyribosylribitol phosphate (PRP) 10 mcg conjugated to tetanus toxoid (TT) (carrier protein) 19 to 33 mcg\]

BIOLOGICAL

Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine

Administered by intramuscular injection. Each 0.5 mL dose contains 2 mcg each Saccharide for serotypes 1, 5, 9V, 14, 19A, 19F, 23F, 7F, 6A and 4 mcg Saccharide for serotype 6B.

BIOLOGICAL

Rotavirus, Live Attenuated (Oral) Vaccine

Administered orally. Each 2.0 mL dose contains: Live Attenuated Bovine-Human Rotavirus Reassortant \[G1, G2, G3, G4 and G9\], 5.6 focus-forming units (FFU) / serotype.

BIOLOGICAL

Measles and Rubella Vaccine

Administered by subcutaneous injection. Each 0.5 mL dose contains not less than 1000 cell culture infectious dose 50% (CCID50) of Measles virus and 1000 CCID50 of Rubella virus.

BIOLOGICAL

Meningococcal A conjugate vaccine

Administered by intramuscular injection. Each 0.5 mL dose contains Meningococcal A polysaccharide 10 mcg and tetanus toxoid (TT) (carrier protein) 10 to 33 mcg.

BIOLOGICAL

Yellow Fever vaccine

Yellow fever vaccine will be locally sourced by each trial site in accordance with the countries' EPI program.

BIOLOGICAL

Typhoid Conjugate vaccine

Typhoid conjugate vaccine will be locally sourced by each trial site in accordance with the countries' EPI program.

Locations (2)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

Institut de Recherche en Science de la Santé (IRSS)
Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé (GRAS)
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06879327), the sponsor (PATH), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06879327 clinical trial studying?

The aim of this study is to identify an optimal infant vaccine schedule for a malaria vaccine which is better aligned with the timing of other vaccine interventions. The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06879327?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06879327?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06879327. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06879327. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.