Artes and Burnet Institute collaborate to develop PATH-funded malaria vaccine

German biotechnology company Artes and Australian non-profit virology and communicable disease center the Burnet Institute have teamed up to develop a malaria vaccine, funded by the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative.

The project will use technology developed at the Burnet Institute by deputy director David Anderson and his colleagues. Artes holds the international patent rights and adapted the platform to vaccine production. Purified vaccine antigens will be produced as virus-like particles for testing in laboratory studies. The virus-like particles will be taken up by immune cells to prime and prepare the immune system to fight malaria.

There is currently no vaccine approved for use, despite the fact malaria is one of the world’s leading causes of illness and death, with more than 600,000 dying each year.