Malaria Vaccine Development: Challenges and Prospects

Etefia Etefia; Paul Inyang-Etoh

doi:10.55940/medphar202225

Authors

Etefia Etefia University of Calabar
Paul Inyang-Etoh University of Calabar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55940/medphar202225

Keywords:

malaria, immunity, Plasmodium falciparum, vaccine

Abstract

This is a review on malaria vaccine development: challenges and prospects. The development of licensed malaria vaccines have been challenging because of the multi-stage life cycle, antigenic variation, and great genetic diversity of Plasmodium making it difficult for the right vaccine candidate among the thousands antigens of Plasmodium. Several vaccines for different stages of Plasmodium which include pre-erthrocytic stage vaccine, blood stage vaccines, using Plasmodium proteins, placenta vaccines and transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs) which inhibit the sexual stage of malaria parasites. However, none of these vaccines are completely effective and have high reactogenicity. Due to the failure to formulate effective vaccines to tackle a single stage of the Plasmodium life cycle, the development of an effective multistage or multivalent malaria vaccine (MultiMalVax) is ongoing which could be the best approach to neutralize the sporozoites from developing to merozoites; and the merozoites emerging from hepatocytes and erythrocytes and; to break the sexual stage transmission. Therefore, a great understanding of the potential vaccine targets and how immunity acts is a key road-map to developing a fully effective vaccine against malaria.

Author Biography

Paul Inyang-Etoh, University of Calabar

Professor of Medical Parasitology

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