Viral vector vaccines for liver-stage malaria

Abstract

More than three decades have passed since the first virus-based vaccine was produced against the liver stages of malaria in 1984, and we have made significant progress since then. The most recent human clinical trials have shown that prime-boost heterologous immunization regimens consisting of viral-vectored malarial vaccines induce significant protection against controlled human malaria infections. In view of the fact that a first-generation malaria pre-erythrocytic stage candidate vaccine, RTS, S/AS01, was recently licensed by the European Medicines Agency, a new line of research has opened up for possible prime-boost heterologous immunization regimens utilizing both RTS, S and viral-vectored malarial vaccines. This chapter will review the research regarding the development of viral-vectored vaccines against the liver stages of malaria from small animal and nonhuman primate models to humans.