Recombinant outer membrane vesicles as a new malaria vaccine booster
Official title: Recombinant Outer Membrane Vesicles as a Novel Adjuvant for a Malaria Vaccine
Funded at Versatope Therapeutics, INC. · NIH-11224078 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new type of vaccine booster using engineered tiny particles from a probiotic bacterium to help, protect, and sustain immunity against malaria in children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Versatope Therapeutics, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lowell, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | December 8, 2023 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $999,925 |
| NIH project number | 5R44AI181242-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11224078 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children in malaria-endemic regions who could later participate in human trials or benefit from improved vaccines via sharing of safer, more durable adjuvant technologies.
✕Less likely to help
Children without malaria exposure in trial contexts or with contraindications to vaccine adjuvants may not benefit.
What this research studies
This grant supports testing a novel vaccine adjuvant platform based on recombinant outer membrane vesicles (rOMVs) to improve malaria vaccines in young children. Researchers will use an established animal model to study safety and how well the immune system remembers malaria exposure after vaccination with the rOMV-adjuvanted vaccine. The project aims to create a thermostable, strong immune response that could reduce infection and transmission in settings where malaria is a major health risk. By focusing on antibody-mediated protection and durable immune memory, the work seeks to move toward a more effective vaccine option for at-risk pediatric populations.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lead to a more effective malaria vaccine for children, potentially reducing illness and death from malaria.
How similar studies have gone: Previous malaria vaccine efforts show partial protection; this approach explores a novel adjuvant to boost efficacy and durability, which is promising but still early-stage.
Where this research is happening
-
Versatope Therapeutics, INC.
Lowell, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Locher, Christopher — Versatope Therapeutics, INC.
- Study coordinator: Locher, Christopher
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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.