The antigen, known as PfSEA-1, was associated with reduced parasite levels among children and adults in malaria-endemic areas, researchers found.
Mice exposed to PfSEA-1 in an investigational vaccine also experienced lower malaria parasite levels. The discovery of PfSEA-1 could be a critical addition to the limited pool of antigens currently used in candidate malaria vaccines.
Researchers said an estimated 627,000 people die from malaria each year according to the World Health Organisation, with most deaths from the mosquito-borne parasitic disease occurring among young children living in sub-Saharan Africa.
Using plasma samples from 2-year-old Tanzanian children who were either resistant or susceptible to malaria infection, researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in US performed gene-screening experiments and a series of laboratory tests that identified PfSEA-1.
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Multiple tests confirmed that antibodies to PfSEA-1 halted malaria infection at the point when the parasite leaves one red blood cell to invade a new one.
Scientists then vaccinated five groups of mice with the novel antigen to evaluate its effects after the mice were exposed to malaria. In all groups, the vaccinated mice had lower levels of malaria parasites and survived longer than the unvaccinated mice.
Researchers measured antibody levels in plasma samples from 453 Tanzanian children from the previous cohort and discovered that no cases of severe malaria occurred during periods when the children had detectable antibodies to PfSEA-1.
Together, these findings support PfSEA-1 as a potential vaccine candidate that could work alone or together with other vaccines targeting different stages of malaria infection, the researchers said.
The findings appear in the journal Science.