Identification of novel proteins associated with protection against clinical malaria.

As progress towards malaria elimination continues, the challenge posed by the parasite species has become more evident. In many regions co-endemic for and , as transmission has declined the proportion of cases due to has increased. Novel tools that directly target are thus warranted for accelerated elimination. There is currently no advanced vaccine for and only a limited number of potential candidates in the pipeline. In this study we aimed to identify promising proteins that could be used as part of a subunit vaccination approach. We screened 342 P protein constructs for their ability to induce IgG antibody responses associated with protection from clinical disease in a cohort of children from Papua New Guinea. This approach has previously been used to successfully identify novel candidates. We were able to confirm previous results from our laboratory identifying the proteins reticulocyte binding protein 2b and StAR-related lipid transfer protein, as well as at least four novel candidates with similar levels of predicted protective efficacy. Assessment of these proteins in further studies to confirm their potential and identify functional mechanisms of protection against clinical disease are warranted.