Immune responses to an attenuated malaria vaccine
Official title: Collective Responses to Malaria Vaccination
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11260164 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how an attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite vaccine triggers immune cells and antibodies in people with and without prior malaria exposure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | February 9, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $700,000 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AI165455-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11260164 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults eligible for vaccination and follow-up visits, including both people without prior malaria exposure and those with prior exposure as defined by the study criteria.
✕Less likely to help
People who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or unable to undergo vaccine or challenge procedures are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
What this research studies
If you join, you would provide blood samples and clinical follow-up over time before and after vaccination, and some participants may undergo controlled human malaria challenge under close medical supervision. Researchers will use advanced lab tests—including mass cytometry, antigen-specific staining, and single-cell multi-omic sequencing—to map which immune cells and antibodies appear after vaccination. They will compare responses in malaria-naïve and malaria-experienced participants to find patterns linked to protection. The team will then test whether identified antibodies or cell responses can explain the sterilizing immunity seen with this attenuated sporozoite vaccine.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify immune markers that guide better malaria vaccines and help predict who is protected.
How similar studies have gone: Prior trials of attenuated sporozoite vaccines have produced sterilizing protection in some volunteers, but pinpointing the exact immune cells and antibodies responsible remains a newer effort.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stuart, Kenneth D — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Stuart, Kenneth D
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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.