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Recent Advances in Malaria Vaccine Development—2nd Edition
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Recent Advances in Malaria Vaccine Development—2nd Edition

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Vaccines Against Tropical and Other Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 2833

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ahmad Rushdi Shakri

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Interests: vaccines; development of novel malaria vaccine candidates; delivery platforms; DNA; mRNA; protein
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dipak Raj

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Interests: global health; malaria vaccine; molecular parasitology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infections caused by malaria parasites constitute a major burden on human health in affected regions globally. As one of the deadliest parasitic diseases, malaria continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality, with an estimated 263 million clinical cases and 597,000 deaths reported in 2023*.

Increasing resistance to anti-malarial drugs continues to be a major concern in the fight against the disease. While Plasmodium falciparum causes the majority of malaria-related mortality, safe and efficacious vaccines for both P. falciparum and P. vivax are needed as cost-effective tools for the prevention and elimination of malaria globally. Importantly, in addition to the only two recently recommended vaccines for the prevention of falciparum malaria in children living in endemic areas (RTS, S/AS01B and R21/Matrix-M), multiple vaccines are required against malaria to provide high efficacy and meet the malaria vaccine supply capacity.

This Special Issue of Vaccines aims to showcase new developments in both falciparum and vivax malaria vaccines.

We look forward to your contributions.

Best regards,

*World Malaria Report 2024, WHO.

Dr. Ahmad Rushdi Shakri
Dr. Dipak Raj
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Plasmodium
  • falciparum
  • vivax
  • malaria
  • vaccine

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1970 KB  
Article
Systematic Development and Validation of a Bradford-Based Protein Quantification Method for Novel Multi-Dose R21 Malaria Vaccine Formulated with 2-Phenoxy Ethanol (2-PE)
by Rajender Jena, Dnyanesh Ranade, Prajwal Chaudhari, Ajay Salunke, Aniket Mahamuni and Sunil Gairola
Vaccines 2026, 14(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines14010025 - 24 Dec 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1292
Abstract
Background: The R21 malaria vaccine is a next-generation, WHO-prequalified vaccine that was introduced to reduce the burden of clinical malaria. In alignment with WHO recommendations, multi-dose vaccine presentations are preferred for large-scale immunization and inclusion in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). Accurate [...] Read more.
Background: The R21 malaria vaccine is a next-generation, WHO-prequalified vaccine that was introduced to reduce the burden of clinical malaria. In alignment with WHO recommendations, multi-dose vaccine presentations are preferred for large-scale immunization and inclusion in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). Accurate protein quantification is a critical quality control parameter for lot release, but it remains challenging when the antigen is present at low protein concentrations or formulated with complex matrices, including adjuvants, stabilizers, and preservatives. Methods: In this study, multiple protein estimation methods including Micro-BCA, BCA, and Bradford assays were evaluated to determine their suitability for quantifying the R21 antigen formulated with Matrix-M1 adjuvant and 2-PE preservative. The Bradford assay was selected as the most appropriate method, based on a comparative assessment of precision, accuracy, and linearity. Further optimization was undertaken to identify suitable buffer systems, and the method was validated in accordance with ICH Q2(R2) guidelines. Results: Validation results demonstrated that the assay is specific, accurate, precise, and repeatable, with a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 2 µg/mL. The method demonstrated comparable performance to ELISA and was found to be sensitive enough to detect changes in antigen concentration resulting from unintended adsorption of R21 to vial surfaces. The assay offers a rapid, high-throughput, and cost-effective solution for protein quantitation in commercial manufacturing, lot release, and stability studies. The protein content of the drug product, quantified using the Bradford method, demonstrated robust in vivo immunogenicity in both release and stability studies. Conclusions: The robustness and reproducibility of the assay establish a new benchmark in quality control for virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccines with complex formulations, thereby supporting the precision and reliability required for global malaria prevention efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Malaria Vaccine Development—2nd Edition)
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Review

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25 pages, 1150 KB  
Review
Recent Advances, Bottlenecks, and Future Directions in Plasmodium falciparum Vaccine Development
by Gulbuse Turan, Maxence J. Boggio, Ahmad Syibli Othman, Victory Nnaemeka, Adrian V. S. Hill and Ahmed M. Salman
Vaccines 2026, 14(3), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines14030277 - 21 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Malaria remains a major global health burden, with an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths reported in 2024, disproportionately affecting children under five years of age and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. Although antimalarial drugs are highly effective at clearing infections, their [...] Read more.
Malaria remains a major global health burden, with an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths reported in 2024, disproportionately affecting children under five years of age and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. Although antimalarial drugs are highly effective at clearing infections, their reliance on timely diagnosis and treatment limits their scalability as a population-wide control strategy. Vaccines therefore represent a critical tool for reducing malaria-associated morbidity and mortality, as well as interrupting parasite transmission, by inducing durable protective immunity. However, the complex lifecycle of Plasmodium parasites poses significant challenges for vaccine development, including the identification of protective antigens and optimal vaccine formulations. In this review, we summarize current vaccine strategies and discuss their key limitations. We also highlight emerging opportunities for possible avenues for future research and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Malaria Vaccine Development—2nd Edition)
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