A single-shot malaria vaccine
The authors show that a single immunization with a Pf LARC strain called GA2 conferred 90% protection against controlled human malaria infection (CHMI).
LARC vaccine strains such as GA2 migrate to the liver, infect hepatocytes and replicate. This generates considerable vaccine biomass and a diverse parasite antigen repertoire.
The LARC vaccine develops to a late liver stage, without forming and releasing red blood cell-infectious parasites into the bloodstream, and then dies. This elicits antibodies against parasite antigens (including the sporozoite surface protein CSP) and T cells against liver stage antigens.
Together, these immune responses provide sterilizing immunity, effectively preventing future malaria parasite infections.
