New Delhi, July 21 — In a significant stride toward malaria elimination, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has announced the development of a novel chimeric malaria vaccine candidate — AdFalciVax — aimed at combating Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite.
Developed in collaboration with ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar (RMRCBB), the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), and the Department of Biotechnology’s National Institute of Immunology (DBT-NII), AdFalciVax represents a new generation of multistage vaccines.
Unlike existing malaria vaccines that target only a single life-cycle stage of the parasite, AdFalciVax combines antigens from both the pre-erythrocytic and sexual stages, offering a dual benefit — individual protection from infection and interruption of community-level transmission via mosquito vectors.
The vaccine is being developed using Lactococcus lactis, a safe, food-grade bacterium often used in dairy fermentation. This approach enhances the vaccine’s safety profile and cost-effectiveness.
Preclinical trials have yielded encouraging results, indicating:
- Broader immune protection
- Lower risk of immune escape
- Extended thermal stability, with viability maintained for over nine months at room temperature
- Potential for long-term immunity
The ICMR emphasized that AdFalciVax is still in early development and has not been approved for clinical use. However, the agency has expressed intent to license the technology under non-exclusive agreements to qualified entities for further development, production, and commercialization, in alignment with its Intellectual Property Policy.
Experts say the vaccine could become a game-changer in India’s malaria elimination efforts, especially under the government’s Make in India initiative. With malaria still posing a significant health burden in several parts of the country, the development of an indigenous, multi-stage vaccine could be a critical milestone in public health advancement.
