Understanding how the malaria vaccine protects young children in Africa
Systems biological assessment of vaccination-induced protective immunity in African children
Researchers will look at blood and immune markers in vaccinated Malawian children to find patterns linked to better protection from malaria.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11285475 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child joins, doctors will follow children in Malawi who receive the RTS,S malaria vaccine. They will collect blood before and after vaccination and measure antibodies and other immune signals using modern lab tests and multi-omics methods. Advanced computer models will search for patterns that predict who stays protected and how long that protection lasts, and link those immune patterns to whether children get malaria over time. This work is done within a WHO-supported long-term cohort so immune findings can be compared to real-world infection outcomes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Young children (approximately 0–11 years) in the Malawi ICEMR cohort who receive the RTS,S vaccine and can provide blood samples are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children who did not receive RTS,S, live outside the study area, or cannot undergo blood draws may not be included or directly benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to vaccine or booster strategies that give young children longer-lasting protection against malaria.
How similar studies have performed: RTS,S has shown partial and waning protection in prior trials, and systems-biology methods have revealed immune signatures for other vaccines, but applying them to RTS,S in young African children is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pulendran, Bali — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Pulendran, Bali
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 below.