Overview

• The international randomized study is now recruiting more than 1,600 infants across Australia, the United States, Puerto Rico, Honduras, South Korea and Thailand, with the Melbourne site enrolling 50 two‑month‑olds who have not yet received routine vaccines.
• The protocol administers doses at two, four and six months with a booster at 12–15 months, given alongside all National Immunisation Program vaccines.
• Participants will be followed for up to 19 months, including three blood tests to assess antibody responses and monitor safety.
• The candidate targets 21 pneumococcal strains compared with 13 in current infant vaccines, with earlier studies described as promising by MCRI Professor Margie Danchin.
• Adoption into immunisation schedules will depend on safety and immunogenicity results, with 2024 data from Victoria reporting 602 invasive cases, including 373 among children aged 0–4.