AdFalciVax for Malaria | 22 Jul 2025

Source:DD 

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is developing a novel chimeric malaria vaccine AdFalciVax. 

• AdFalciVax: It is a multistage malaria vaccine targeting two key stages of Plasmodium falciparum (pre-erythrocytic stage (liver) and sexual stage (that allows transmission via mosquitoes) using Lactococcus lactis (a safe, food-grade bacterium).  
  • It aims to protect individuals and reduce transmission and supports the Make in India initiative and malaria elimination goals. 
  • A "chimeric" vaccine is one that combines genetic material from different sources to create a hybrid or recombinant structure. 
• Malaria: It is caused by the Plasmodium parasite, transmitted by infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.  
  • It's prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions like sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.  
  • Malaria parasites first infect the liver, then enter red blood cells. Symptoms include fever, chills, fatigue, and headache. Severe cases can lead to organ failure or death. It is both preventable and curable. 
  • R21/Matrix-M and RTS,S vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in preventing malaria in children, and are expected to have a significant public health impact. 
  • Treatment includes drugs like chloroquine and artemisinin. Youyou Tu received the Nobel Prize for discovering artemisinin. 
• Burden on India: According to the World Malaria Report 2024, India saw a major decline in malaria cases from 11.69 lakh in 2015 to 2.27 lakh in 2023.  
  • In 2024, India exited the World Health Organization (WHO) High Burden to High Impact (HBHI)  list, advancing towards its goal of malaria elimination by 2030.