Mosquirix (RTS,S) / GSK - LARVOL DELTA

Prevalence of Plasmodium species in asymptomatic individuals in North-Eastern South Africa: 2018 - 2019. (PubMed, S Afr Med J) - "A relatively high asymptomatic Plasmodium infection prevalence was observed in the study area, with P. ovale being the most prevalent species. Therefore, P. ovale infections may be missed with the Plasmodium RDT. R21 and RTS,S vaccines may not offer protection against P. ovale in the study area. Further research is needed to link asymptomatic infections in the study area and the periodic malaria outbreaks, and to determine the significance of the novel SNP in the Pfk13 gene."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo: how support programs consolidate elimination gains and protect at-risk populations from recrudescence. (PubMed, Ann Med Surg (Lond)) - "Sustainable financing, policy reinforcement, and innovative tools are essential to prevent resurgence and protect vulnerable populations, ensuring progress toward malaria elimination in DR Congo. This review uniquely aims to address and consolidate evidence on pregnant women and young children in the DR Congo context, highlighting innovations and donor-dependence risks.""

Journal • Review • Infectious Disease • Malaria

An age-structured mathematical model to assess the combined effects of vaccine and non-vaccine interventions on malaria transmission and burden. (PubMed, Infect Dis Model) - "Preliminary findings suggest that the integration of vaccination with existing malaria control strategies could significantly reduce malaria incidence and mortality over time. This study provides valuable insights into optimizing vaccination strategies and guiding public health policies aimed at long-term malaria control in endemic regions."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Community-level determinants of RTS,S/AS01 vaccine acceptance in a hyperendemic Ghanaian Region: A Bayesian multilevel analysis from Kpando Municipality, Ghana. (PubMed, PLOS Glob Public Health) - "Despite high acceptance, sharp spatial disparities and uneven dose completion persist. To ensure equitable coverage as Ghana scales up RTS,S/AS01, interventions must both address initial hesitancy in low-acceptance areas and improve primary series retention by reducing economic barriers and enhancing service convenience in rural communities."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Genetic polymorphism of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein in Kigali, Rwanda. (PubMed, Front Parasitol) - "Notably, fewer than 1% of sequences matched the 3D7 vaccine strain, and several key amino acid positions associated with vaccine escape showed high mutation frequencies. Our findings suggest that the genetic divergence of circulating csp variants in Kigali could be a factor influencing vaccine performance, underscoring the importance of ongoing molecular surveillance to guide eventual vaccine implementation in Rwanda and other endemic regions."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Modelling the impact of different intervention packages for malaria control under varying intensities of pyrethroid resistance. (PubMed, Malar J) - "Compared to ITNs alone, combining ITNs with IRS and/or biolarvicides greatly improves malaria control at low to moderate intensities of pyrethroid resistance but yields no additional benefits at high resistance intensities. However, integrating these vector control strategies with immunization and effective case management using artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) further enhances impact by reducing both parasite transmission and the infectious reservoir."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Recommendations to mitigate barriers to uptake and delivery of a four-dose malaria vaccine schedule: insights from the MVIP's qualitative evidence. (PubMed, Malar J) - "Adding a four-dose vaccine to a crowded routine immunization schedule presents challenges, as seen during the pilots. The malaria vaccine experience and several studies have provided guidance and tools to support malaria vaccine expansion in the three countries and introduction of the vaccine elsewhere. The observations and recommendations in this paper are intended as a complement to the wide range of materials, guidance and tools already available."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Malaria

mRNA delivery of circumsporozoite protein epitope-based malaria vaccines induces protection in a mouse model. (PubMed, NPJ Vaccines) - "The licensed malaria vaccines (RTS,S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M) have shown significant efficacy in human phase 3 trials...mRNA-delivered nanoparticle and membrane-anchored immunogens displaying both the junctional and NANP repeat epitopes were most effective, exhibiting 99% reduction in liver burden and sterilizing immunity from parasitemia in some mice. The mRNA immunogens represent promising candidates for rapid translation to human challenge studies and could be combined with T cell vaccines to comprise a potential next-generation malaria vaccine."

Journal • Preclinical • Infectious Disease • Malaria

WITHDRAWN Antibody responses in children receiving seasonal malaria chemoprevention, RTS,S/AS01E vaccination, or both interventions during the first five years of life (ASTMH 2025) - P3 | "We will present data following children post-intervention to examine how these antibody responses are related to protection from clinical infection. Clinical trials registration: NCT03143218"

Clinical • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Beyond The Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP): what have we learnt from the phase 4 of RTSS (ASTMH 2025) - No abstract available

P4 data • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Overview of the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines -impact on uncomplicated and severe malaria (ASTMH 2025) - No abstract available

Infectious Disease • Malaria

Targeted Sequencing Identifies SNPs Associated with Antimalarial Drug Resistance and the CSP Vaccine Antigen in Plasmodium falciparum from Southwest Cameroon. (PubMed, Int J Mol Sci) - "In parallel, the recent rollout of the RTS,S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine-targeting the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP)-offers a new prevention tool but may be influenced by parasite genetic diversity...Nineteen non-synonymous SNPs were identified in pfcsp, reflecting natural background variations as vaccination status was not known. These findings support the continued use of artemisinin-based combination therapies and underscores the need for sustained molecular surveillance of both antimalarial drug resistance and vaccine-related polymorphisms, to inform malaria control strategies."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Malaria • ABCB1

Full-length merozoite surface protein 1 formulated with GLA-SE adjuvant in malaria pre-exposed adults: a randomised, controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, single-centre Phase Ib trial. (PubMed, EClinicalMedicine) - P1 | "A highly effective blood-stage malaria vaccine targeting the merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1) of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) might complement the imperfect protection conferred by the currently available first-generation pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccines RTS,S/AS01E and R21/Matrix-M...SUM-101 elicited robust MSP1-specific IgM and IgG antibody titers, with peak levels observed on day 56 and day 84, respectively...KG by the EU Malaria Fund Berlin GmbH & Co. KG."

Journal • P1 data • Fatigue • Hematological Disorders • Infectious Disease • Malaria • Pain

Effectiveness of the RTS,S/AS01E malaria vaccine in a real-world setting over 1 year of follow-up after the three-dose primary schedule: an interim analysis of a phase 4 study in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. (PubMed, Lancet Glob Health) - P | "Over 1 year of follow-up after the third vaccine dose, vaccination with RTS,S/AS01E in real-world settings showed significant reductions in malaria burden. These findings reinforce the continued use of RTS,S/AS01E vaccination in children as an effective public health measure to reduce malaria-related illness and mortality in endemic regions, and highlight its relevance for future malaria control strategies."

Journal • P4 data • Real-world evidence • Hematological Disorders • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Longitudinal Estimates of Plasmodium falciparum Parasite Prevalence and Malaria Control Measures Pre- and Post-RTS,S/AS01E Introduction in Children in Sub-Saharan Africa (ASTMH 2025) - P4 | "The lower PfPR among young children and RTS,S/AS01E vaccinated children potentially indicates a change in malaria transmission intensity post-introduction of the RTS,S/AS01E vaccine. Bed net usage remained mostly stable between pre- and post-vaccination periods"

Clinical • Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Impact of early childhood malaria prevention on malaria risk at school entry: Updates on protocol implementation. (ASTMH 2025) - "About 9.0% of the participants at the time of enrollment had axillary temperature >=37.5°C, with 52.5% always sleeping under mosquito net, and 2.7% had been treated for fever or malaria in the last 14 days. The findings of this study would provide evidence on the impact of early childhood malaria prevention on malaria risk at school entry and suggest recommendations or otherwise for an effective control of malaria among children in Africa."

Clinical • Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Model-based evaluation of the potential effect of malaria vaccination on the spread of drug-resistant P. falciparum and treatment failures (ASTMH 2025) - "Our model-based evidence shows that the current roll-out of pre-erythrocytic vaccines to children will unlikely delay drug resistance spread. Additionally, we found in settings with very high resistance against both drug compounds, vaccination could lead to a decrease in treatment failures."

Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Genome-based, human-informed approach for the development of a T cell-based vaccine against malaria (ASTMH 2025) - "The most immunogenic T cell-exclusive antigen conferred significant protection against Plasmodium yoelii sporozoite challenge, with a substantial reduction in liver- and blood-stage burden. These findings validate genome-guided vaccine design and establish a new paradigm for T cell-focused vaccines against challenging pathogens."

Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Using Mobile Platforms to Drive Malaria Vaccine Awareness and Behavior Change in the Integrated Health Services Project Areas in Burkina Faso (ASTMH 2025) - "According to data collected during the supervision conducted in September, 62% of mothers know the number of malaria vaccine contacts, and 88% of children are up to date with their vaccinations. This activity, combined with other interventions, should increase knowledge of RTS,S vaccination and improve coverage of vaccinated children."

Infectious Disease • Malaria

De novo design and experimental characterization of germline targeting vaccines against Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP) repeats (ASTMH 2025) - "Currently licensed pre-erythrocytic vaccines, RTS,S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M, target the P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP) but exhibit limited durability and quality of antibody responses, potentially due to the exclusion of protective junctional (NPDP) and minor (NVDP) repeat epitopes. Clinical trials with NPDP-targeting CIS43LS and NVDP-targeting L9LS mAbs have demonstrated significant efficacy, validating these epitopes as vaccine targets...Moreover, L9 immunogens successfully recruited germline-L9 B cells to germinal centers, and cryo-EM structures confirmed precise scaffolding of L9 Fab-Fab complexes. These findings underscore the potential of deep learning-enabled protein design to develop next-generation malaria vaccines that elicit potent, conformation-specific protective antibody responses."

Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Comparison of current four-dose schedule versus expanded three-dose schedule of RTS,S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccines: a modelling study. (ASTMH 2025) - "Comparing the two strategies using an equivalence analysis with a 5% effect threshold, we found that in most cases (except for allocation to much lower transmission), reallocation is neither inferior nor superior to the existing four-dose strategy. Overall, if the fourth dose is reallocated to extend the three-dose primary series to more children, the impact on total population disease burden averted remains similar and is neither better nor worse than the current four-dose schedule."

Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Influence of ABO Blood Groups on RTS S; AS01E Malaria Vaccine Response in Cameroonian Children (ASTMH 2025) - "While immunogenicity appears consistent across major ABO blood groups, the observed reduction in malaria cases within blood group O suggests a potential synergistic effect. This finding warrants further investigation in larger, dedicated studies to fully unravel the complex interplay between host genetics, like blood group, and vaccine effectiveness in malaria-endemic areas."

Clinical • Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Malaria

A new platform for the study of Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites from natural infections (ASTMH 2025) - "Indeed, the two available malaria vaccines, RTS, S/A01 and R21/Matrix-M, are designed to interfere with the ability of sporozoites to invade hepatocytes successfully...Both infected mosquitoes and P. vivax sporozoites have been shipped around the globe for CHMIs and for in vitro studies of hepatocyte stages. This new platform at CERMEL opens unique opportunities for international collaborators to investigate for the first time the infection biology, protective efficacy or experimental drugs and vaccines, and the pre-erythrocytic biology of Plasmodium falciparum representative of natural, genetically diverse parasite populations."

Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Scalable in vitro production of Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites using a 3D culture system for vaccine development. (ASTMH 2025) - "While current vaccines such as RTS,S and R21/Matrix-M represent considerable progress, they offer only partial and short-lived protection...Functional validation confirmed that IVS maintain key biological properties: they exhibit gliding motility, infect HC-04 hepatocytes in vitro, and complete liver-stage development in FRG huHep mice, progressing to blood stage. This next-generation IVS platform enables large-scale SPZ production for use in live attenuated vaccine pipelines and opens new avenues for translational research and preclinical testing of malaria interventions."

Late-breaking abstract • Preclinical • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Impact of monoclonal antibodies targeting Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein on vaccine-mediated immune responses (ASTMH 2025) - "Human clinical trials of the two most advanced, extended half-life mAbs in development, L9LS and CIS43LS, have demonstrated safety, tolerability, and sustained, high-level protection against P. falciparum infection in adults and children in intense, seasonal transmission settings...As such, administration of these mAbs prior to RTS,S or R21 raises concerns about potential immunological interference. To address this, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the R21 vaccine following administration of anti-CSP mAbs in a pre-clinical malaria challenge model."

Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Malaria