Understanding how immune cells protect against malaria vaccines in children
Official title: Defining Cellular Correlates of Protection Across Attenuated Whole-Sporozoite Vaccine Platforms
Funded at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center · NIH-11437755 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A doctor-researcher is studying how immune cells respond to three malaria vaccines in healthy volunteers, to learn what kinds of cellular signals best predict protection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $191,376 |
| NIH project number | 1K08AI202228-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11437755 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are malaria-naïve individuals (and a comparison group with malaria experience) enrolled in attenuated sporozoite vaccine trials, including children in relevant age ranges.
✕Less likely to help
Participants who do not develop protective immune responses may not benefit directly from the results, though data will inform future vaccine strategies.
What this research studies
This project will look at how different attenuated malaria vaccines influence cellular immune responses in malaria-naïve individuals. By collecting blood samples over time from people who receive the vaccines, researchers will map which T cells and other immune cells correlate with protection after exposure to malaria. The study uses high-dimensional profiling in several clinical trials to compare responses across vaccines and between malaria-experienced and malaria-naïve participants. The goal is to identify cellular fingerprints that align with protective immunity and to understand how the leading vaccine candidate performs in different groups. Findings could guide future vaccine design and immunomonitoring in at-risk populations, including children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of which immune responses predict protection could accelerate development of more effective malaria vaccines for children.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies suggest cellular immune responses are important for protection and high-dimensional profiling can reveal meaningful correlates, though robust definitions are still being established.
Where this research is happening
-
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jatt, Lauren — Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Study coordinator: Jatt, Lauren
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.