An mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccine targeting the Plasmodium vivax E140 antigen
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Plasmodium vivax (Pv) remains the primary cause of malaria outside Africa, yet no licensed vaccine is available against this pathogen. Here, we evaluate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of novel vaccines targeting E140, a recently identified multi-stage antigen conserved across Plasmodium species. Lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-formulated nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccines against P. berghei E140 (PbE140) and P. vivax E140 (PvE140) induced robust antigen-specific IgG antibody responses, germinal center B cell, and long-lived plasma cell responses. Vaccination with PbE140 mRNA-LNP resulted in reduced parasitemia and improved survival in pathogen-challenged mice. Importantly, antibodies elicited by PvE140 mRNA-LNP in mice reduced invasion of primary human reticulocytes by P. vivax merozoites by 56%–78% in ex vivo functional assays. These findings suggest that E140 may be a promising antigen candidate for next-generation vaccines against P. vivax.
Authors: Rodolfo Ferreira Marques, Guilherme Antonio de Souza-Silva, Vitor Antunes da Silva, András Sárközy, Máté Vadovics, Hiromi Muramatsu, Edit Ábrahám, Carolina Bioni Garcia, Silvia Beatriz Boscardin, Rachel H.J. Jun, Anna Caroline Campos Aguiar, Zoltan Lipinszki, Norbert Pardi, Daniel Youssef Bargieri
Language: English
Topic: Malaria Research and Control
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,900
Funders: Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, Nemzeti Kutatási és Technológiai Hivatal, Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Awards: G1150011823, G128416949, G1456663148, The UCI Vaccines for Pandemic Preparedness Center (VPPC), G3059208328, G3887993478, G4002205913, G4675393368, G5057311583, G5074127172, G523680477, G7445687531, Design and Development of a Pan-betacoronavirus Vaccine, Discovery of vaccine targets and compounds against Malaria transmission, G8760335370, Lipid nanoparticle adjuvants for mRNA vaccines: composition-function relation and mechanism of action
OpenAlex ID: W7206201728