Oxford and Serum Institute of India to advance development of new malaria vaccine candidate

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The University of Oxford, through Oxford University Innovation (OUI), and the Serum Institute of India (SII), have entered into a licence agreement to support the development and manufacture of the new malaria vaccine candidate R78C, based on two Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage antigens (RIPR and CyPRA), for use in clinical settings.

The agreement grants SII a non-exclusive, worldwide licence to develop R78C as part of a next-generation multi-stage malaria vaccine - a major step designed to target the parasite at multiple points in its lifecycle, with the aim of improving efficacy and durability of protection.

The collaboration builds on a longstanding association between Oxford and Serum Institute of India, including the 2019 licence for the R21 pre-erythrocytic stage vaccine and subsequent work to further incorporate the RH5.1 blood-stage vaccine candidate.

The licence will enable SII to support the continued development, large-scale manufacture, and potential future commercialisation of the multi-stage vaccine candidate, helping to accelerate its progression into clinical evaluation.

This agreement forms part of a broader ecosystem of collaborations supporting the development of novel malaria vaccines. In parallel, SII has entered into a related agreement with ExpreS2ion to secure access to its proprietary ExpreS2 expression platform, which has been used in the clinical-stage production of RH5.1 and R78C vaccine components.

Malaria remains a major global health challenge, with hundreds of millions of cases reported annually, predominantly affecting children in sub-Saharan Africa. The development of more effective vaccines is widely recognised as a critical component of long-term malaria control and eradication strategies.