Creating Better Malaria Vaccines
Official title: Development of Non-Human Primate Models to Assess Immunological Mechanisms and Antigenic Targets of Protective Sporozoite (SPZ) Vaccines and Establish Superior Efficacy of Next Generation SPZ vaccines
Funded at Sanaria, INC. · NIH-11081642 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research aims to understand how malaria vaccines work and use that knowledge to create new, more effective vaccines for people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sanaria, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rockville, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2021 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $945,493 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AI155354-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11081642 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research is relevant to individuals, particularly children, who live in or travel to areas where malaria is common and who could benefit from improved vaccine protection.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals not at risk of malaria infection would not directly benefit from this vaccine development.
What this research studies
Current malaria vaccines based on sporozoites (SPZ) have shown good results in many clinical trials, but we want to make them even better. This project focuses on understanding how these vaccines protect against malaria and identifying the key parts of the parasite that the immune system targets. By doing this, we hope to develop new ways to test vaccine candidates using laboratory methods and non-human primate models, rather than relying solely on human clinical trials for early stages. This will help us find and develop next-generation malaria vaccines that offer stronger, longer-lasting protection and are more affordable.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new malaria vaccines that provide stronger, broader, and more durable protection against the disease, especially for children and adults in affected regions.
How similar studies have gone: Existing sporozoite-based malaria vaccines have already demonstrated excellent safety and effectiveness in numerous clinical trials, indicating a successful foundation for this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Sanaria, INC.
Rockville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hoffman, Stephen Lev — Sanaria, INC.
- Study coordinator: Hoffman, Stephen Lev
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Manufacture of clean, frozen Plasmodium vivax sporozoites for malaria research
A funded NIH project will produce aseptic, purified, and cryopreserved Plasmodium vivax sporozoites to support testing of drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for vivax malaria.
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New cryovials with integral septum for PfSPZ vaccine and PfSPZ challenge products
This grant funds the development of new cryovials to store malaria vaccines (PfSPZ) so they can be produced, tested, and used more reliably to help prevent malaria infections.
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Making sterile, purified frozen Plasmodium vivax malaria sporozoites
This project produces sterile, purified frozen Plasmodium vivax parasites so researchers can use them to test medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics for vivax malaria.
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Advancing a New Malaria Vaccine
This work aims to speed up the availability of a new vaccine designed to protect people from malaria infection and transmission.
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Creating more powerful malaria vaccines
This project aims to make new malaria vaccines that work better, last longer, and protect against more types of malaria parasites for people in areas where malaria is common.
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A new malaria vaccine designed to stop the parasite in the liver.
This project is developing an advanced malaria vaccine to protect people from infection, especially in regions where malaria is common.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.