Making sterile, purified frozen Plasmodium vivax malaria sporozoites
Official title: Manufacture of aseptic, purified, cryopreserved Plasmodium vivax sporozoites
Funded at Sanaria, INC. · NIH-11159591 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project produces sterile, purified frozen Plasmodium vivax parasites so researchers can use them to test medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics for vivax malaria.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sanaria, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rockville, United States) |
| Project start | April 21, 2016 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,000,000 |
| NIH project number | 5U44AI124867-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11159591 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for downstream trials using these materials would include adults eligible for CHMI or clinical trials of P. vivax vaccines or drugs, typically enrolled at specialized trial centers.
✕Less likely to help
People with G6PD deficiency or those who cannot or do not enroll in related clinical trials are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this manufacturing work.
What this research studies
The team manufactures Plasmodium vivax sporozoites by infecting mosquitoes under strict sterile, GMP-like conditions, then purifies and cryopreserves the sporozoites. They validate the material's quality and infectivity using humanized-liver mouse models and rigorous quality control testing. The goal is to create consistent, safe batches that can be used for controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) and other clinical testing. Producing standardized Pv sporozoites reduces reliance on fresh infected blood and aims to speed and simplify clinical evaluation of drugs and vaccines.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make clinical testing of vivax malaria treatments and vaccines faster, safer, and more reliable, accelerating development of better prevention and care.
How similar studies have gone: Cryopreserved Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites and CHMI models have been used successfully, and the investigators' earlier phase II work produced Pv sporozoites infectious to humanized mice, but standardized Pv CHMI is less established than for P. falciparum.
Where this research is happening
-
Sanaria, INC.
Rockville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chakravarty, Sumana — Sanaria, INC.
- Study coordinator: Chakravarty, Sumana
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.