The circumsporozoite protein (CSP) has been identified as a potential target in the development of vaccines focused on the earlier stages of malaria infection.
The researchers are working on a new approach that targets a region of CSP that is essential for a critical function of the protein.
By blocking this function, it is hoped that the invasion of the parasite into the liver can be prevented.
Merck Vaccines Discovery vice president John Shiver said new methods and partnerships, like this collaboration with MVI and NYU Langone Medical Center, are important to continue innovation in the battle against the malaria parasite.
"With the availability of a first-generation malaria vaccine on the horizon, we are ramping up our efforts to seek out and invest in scientific approaches for malaria vaccines that could potentially be even more effective and protect more people," Shiver said.
Although the vaccine approach is being tested primarily for use in children younger than one year of age, it could be used to prevent disease in all populations vulnerable to Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly species of the parasite.
The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative is a global program established at PATH in 1999 through an initial grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.