Development of a circumsporozoite protein based vaccine for malaria

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that is estimated to cause over 300,000 childhood deaths annually. Malaria demonstrates significant resistance to current drug treatments. It is therefore imperative to develop a vaccine to curb this worldwide pandemic. Malaria has a complex life-cycle. It is transmitted between humans via the bite of female mosquitoes. Upon infection malaria travels to the liver, where it multiplies and develops into the disease-causing blood stage. Mosquitoes are then infected when taking a blood meal from a person infected with malaria and the cycle is repeated.  

The vaccine will target a protein essential to the liver stage of malaria. Vaccinated individuals will then develop antibodies against malaria, and when an infected mosquito bites a human and injects malaria, their antibodies will kill malaria before it can infect the liver. The researchers will use a suite of molecular biology techniques to determine how antibodies recognize the malaria proteins, and use specialized computer programs to design an optimized vaccine. The work in delineating the three-dimensional blueprints of a malaria target will enable the design of a vaccine that prevents malaria infection and has the potential to greatly reduce the worldwide disease burden caused by malaria.

Basic Science
Enabling Technologies & Assays
Immunology
Vaccines

Apr 2018 — Feb 2019

$31,635

Canada