Multistage Malaria Vaccine Candidate Addresses Both Infection and Transmission

While two malaria vaccines are currently in use in Africa, a new, innovative vaccine candidate is advancing in human clinical trials. Results from a study highlight the potential of multistage vaccines to address both infection and transmission, offering a new approach in the fight against malaria.

A new phase 2 randomized controlled trial published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases reports encouraging levels of protection from an investigational multistage malaria vaccine, ProC6C-AlOH/Matrix-M, against controlled human malaria infection in adults with lifelong exposure to the mosquito-transmitted parasite.

The vaccine candidates, which target multiple stages of the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle, the protozoan responsible for the most severe form of malaria in humans, have demonstrated promising efficacy in a study conducted among healthy adults in a malaria-endemic region of Mali.

Researchers, including the Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques, and Technologies of Bamako, evaluated the vaccine's safety, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy. Participants received three doses of the vaccine or a control, followed by controlled exposure to the malaria parasite.

ProC6C-AlOH/Matrix-M achieved an efficacy of 54% (95% CI 9–77, p=0·029) at 12 weeks after the final dose, and 76% (95% CI 36–91, p=0·0022) in a time-to-event analysis, indicating a promising level of protection. 

The study authors note that further research is needed to evaluate the vaccine's performance against naturally acquired malaria and in younger age groups, including children.

In a related commentary published by The Lancet on December 16, 2025, researchers wrote, "Having a first multistage malaria vaccine with proven efficacy is a key achievement, as there is consensus in the malaria community on the need to cover as many parasite stages as possible."

This study's results are essential as malaria transmission occurs in 80 countries across five WHO regions. Last year, there were an estimated 282 million cases of malaria globally reported by the World Health Organization. 

As of December 21, 2025, malaria vaccines, such as R21/Matrix-M™, are not offered in the United States.