$4.6 Million Funds Malaria Vaccine Candidate Tests

Ocean Biomedical recently announced that its Scientific Co-founder, Dr. Jonathan Kurtis, MD, PhD, and his research team have received additional funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance their malaria vaccine research.
With the support of a $4.6 million non-governmental Foundation grant, Dr. Kurtis’ team is now testing three vaccine candidates in non-human primates. These candidates aim to block the malaria parasite’s ability to enter and exit red blood cells.
The research also explores the feasibility of using lipid-encapsulated messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology as a delivery mechanism.
In December 2024, Dr. Kurtis secured a $3.5 million NIH grant to identify vaccine targets further to protect against severe malaria in children.
Malaria remains a devastating global health challenge, claiming the lives of over 500,000 children annually in sub-Saharan Africa.
As of January 30, 2025, two malaria vaccines are available in Africa. However, they are not available in the U.S.
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