RH5-based blood stage vaccine

RH5-based blood stage vaccines are a class of next-generation malaria vaccine candidates designed to target the Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte-binding protein homolog 5 (RH5) antigen. RH5 is a highly conserved protein essential for the invasion of human erythrocytes (red blood cells) by the malaria parasite, interacting directly with the host receptor basigin. By inducing neutralizing antibodies that block this critical invasion step, these vaccines aim to prevent or significantly reduce asexual blood-stage infection, which is responsible for the clinical symptoms and pathology of malaria. Prominent candidates in this class include RH5.1 (a full-length soluble protein vaccine) and RH5.2-VLP (a re-engineered, stabilized virus-like particle vaccine), often formulated with adjuvants such as Matrix-M or AS01 to enhance immunogenicity. Development is primarily led by the University of Oxford in collaboration with partners like the Serum Institute of India and PATH.

Other names

PfRH5-based blood-stage vaccinePfRH-5-based blood-stage vaccinePfRH 5-based blood-stage vaccineRH5 blood-stage malaria vaccineRH-5 blood-stage malaria vaccineRH 5 blood-stage malaria vaccineRH5-based blood-stage malaria vaccineRH-5-based blood-stage malaria vaccineRH 5-based blood-stage malaria vaccine