Advancing next-generation malaria vaccines: UltiMalVax partners gather in Berlin

May 21
2 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

Partners of the UltiMalVax consortium and members of its Scientific and Ethics Advisory Committee (SEAC) met in Berlin to review progress in developing a next-generation malaria vaccine designed to both prevent infection and reduce transmission.

May 21, 2026

Malaria elimination will likely require more than a single vaccine approach. Current strategies increasingly focus on combining multiple vaccine components that target different parasite antigens and life-cycle stages. This multi-stage, multi-antigen approach aims to improve overall vaccine efficacy while limiting the risk of antigenic variation driven by immune selection pressure. Pre-erythrocytic vaccines, such as R21, are expected to play a central role in future malaria control and elimination efforts. However, for malaria to be eliminated, additional tools will be critical. In particular, transmission-blocking vaccine components, which interrupt parasite development within the mosquito vector, could help reduce onward transmission in endemic regions.

Malaria remains a major global health burden. According to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths occurred worldwide in 2024, with the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa. While Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for most malaria-related deaths, Plasmodium vivax is the most geographically widespread species and presents additional challenges due to its ability to form dormant liver stages (hypnozoites), leading to recurrent infections. Building on advances from the R21 programme, the UltiMalVax consortium is developing next-generation, multi-stage vaccines against P. falciparum and P. vivax.

During the meeting on 19-20 May 2026, 21 consortium members and scientific advisors discussed recent progress across the programme. This included new exciting results from preclinical studies with vaccine candidates based on virus-like particles (VLPs), recombinant proteins and mRNA platforms, alongside results on the development of novel adjuvant systems to enhance immune responses. The consortium also selected the candidate for manufacture, reviewed manufacturing plans and timelines in preparation for advancement to a Phase I clinical trial, marking an important milestone in the project. EVI acknowledges the valuable contributions of all partners and SEAC members in advancing the project goals and for the productive scientific exchange during the meeting.

UltiMalVax continues to leverage expertise across disciplines to advance innovative malaria vaccine development strategies, with the shared goal of contributing to long-term malaria control and eventual eradication.

*UltiMalVax consortium members and scientific advisors during the 2026 Annual meeting in Berlin*

The project is supported by funding from the European Commission, the UK (UKRI) and Swiss (SERI) governments.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

This project has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement No. 101080928.