A decade in the making: SE36/cVLP blood-stage malaria vaccine moves closer to the clinic

The SEmalvac6 consortium has recently held its first face-to-face meeting in Japan in March 2026, bringing together partners from Japan, Denmark and Germany to discuss recent progress and outline upcoming activities toward the development of the SE36-cVLP blood-stage malaria vaccine candidate.

SEmalvac6 focuses on the manufacture and preclinical development of SE36/cVLP, building on over a decade of EVI-led development of SE36-based malaria vaccines. EVI has been supporting the development of this blood-stage candidate since 2014, working toward a safe and effective vaccine targeting the blood stage of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite lifecycle.

The delivery of the SE-36 antigen with cVLP is expected to improve the manufacturing process with higher yield, lower costs of goods of the final product, the magnitude and longevity of the vaccine-induce immune response.

During their stay, consortium members had the opportunity to engage directly with the team and tour the facilities at Takara Bio, where the GMP batch of the SE36 antigen will be manufactured.

A visit to the GHIT Fund in Tokyo, which funds the SEmalvac6 project, was also organised, providing an opportunity to present updates on the current work plan and share an overview of the planned clinical development strategy.

The successful first gathering reflects the consortium's shared commitment to advancing this promising vaccine candidate and reinforces the collaborative foundation needed to bring it closer to the people who need it most.

This project has received funding from Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT).

SEmalvac6 consortium: The University of Osaka, University of Copenhagen, AdaptVac, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., and Nobelpharma Co., Ltd. and European Vaccine Initiative (EVI)