Mapping Malaria Transmission: Advancements Towards Precision Medicine

Through the Industry Partnerships & Commercialization (IP&C) Office, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) empowers its researchers to turn discovery into impact. We’re supporting teams that cross disciplines and institutional boundaries to drive innovation on a global scale.

In a recent collaboration with Radboud University Medical Center, SickKids scientists have, for the first time, mapped the structure of a malaria protein complex that plays a key role in disease transmission.

Caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, Malaria remains a leading global health challenge. While current vaccines can reduce infection rates to some extent, they do not prevent transmission and are not widely accessible.

Published in Immunity, the landmark study details the molecular architecture of the Pfs230:Pfs48/45 complex, two proteins essential to malaria transmission. The team leveraged advanced cryo-electron microscopy to discover how the immune system recognizes and blocks these proteins, revealing a blueprint for the development of next-generation, precision-designed vaccines.

This precision approach to malaria intervention is part of a global effort to design a multi-pronged vaccination strategy that targets the essential components of all three aspects of the global burden: transmission, infection and disease severity.

One of the most promising outputs from this collaboration is an engineered antigen chimera designed to generate strong, transmission-blocking immune responses. Developed by Drs. Jean-Philippe Julien and Danton Ivanochko of SickKids, the antigen links Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 in a configuration that stabilizes their structure and presents key regions in a way the immune system can effectively recognize. This design induces broadly neutralizing antibodies against malaria, focusing the immune response on the most protective sites while minimizing unnecessary targets. The result is a simplified, low-cost vaccine component that can be produced using standard manufacturing methods.

Currently at in vivo proof-of-concept, the team is exploring combinations of this chimera with antigens from other stages of the malaria life cycle to develop a multi-stage vaccine capable of blocking both infection and transmission. A U.S. Provisional Patent application has been filed, with potential for integration into broader vaccine strategies both within SickKids and through global collaboration.  

Working closely with the research team, IP&C continues to guide the protection of novel antigen designs emerging from this work, ensures compliance with translational obligations under supporting grants, and will play a key role in developing a licensing strategy as the technology progresses toward clinical application.