Plasmodium vivax transmission-blocking vaccines: Progress, challenges and innovation. (April 2022) - Tachibana, Mayumi
Abstract: Existing control measures have significantly reduced malaria morbidity and mortality in the last two decades, although these reductions are now stalling. Significant efforts have been undertaken to develop malaria vaccines. Recently, extensive progress in malaria vaccine development has been made for Plasmodium falciparum . To date, only the RTS, S/AS01 vaccine has been tested in Phase 3 clinical trials and is now under implementation, despite modest efficacy. Therefore, the development of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) will be essential for malaria elimination. Only a limited number of TBVs have reached pre-clinical or clinical development with several major challenges impeding their development, including low immunogenicity in humans. TBV development efforts against P. vivax, the second major cause of malaria morbidity, lag far behind those for P. falciparum . In this review we summarize the latest progress, challenges and innovations in P. vivax TBV research and discuss how to accelerate its development. Highlights: P. falciparum transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) development is now at Phase 2. P. vivax TBV development is stagnant due to technical challenges. Innovative approaches are now available to accelerate P. vivax TBV development. Novel P. vivax TBV discovery by high-throughput immuno-profiling is now possible. Novel delivery platforms and P. vivax CHMI for TBV are now available.