Vaccine is being developed through ICMR's Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar and National Institute of Malaria Research in partnership with Department of Biotechnology-National Institute of Immunology.

About AdFalciVax Vaccine: 

• Dual-Stage Targeting of Plasmodium falciparum (Deadliest malaria parasite Species): Unlike existing vaccines that target only one life stage, it targets two critical stages in parasite’s lifecycle i.e.
  • Pre-erythrocytic (liver) stage
  • Transmission (sexual) stage
• Recombinant Chimeric Vaccine: A "chimeric" vaccine refers to vaccine that combines antigens from different stages of a parasite's life cycle into a single immunogen.
  • Recombinant DNA technology is a process where DNA molecules from different sources are combined to create a new DNA sequence.
• Indigenous Development: It marks India's entry into the global league of advanced malaria vaccine R&D.

Advantages over Existing Malaria Vaccines:

• Broader protection: Unlike existing WHO-recommended vaccines RTS, S/AS01 (Mosquirix) and R21/Matrix-M, AdFalciVax offers dual-stage protection.
• Lower risk of immune evasion and potential for better long-term immunity
• Extended thermal stability with functionality maintained for over nine months at room temperature
• Cost-Effective Manufacturing: Produced in a safe and scalable bacterial system i.e. Lactococcus lactis.