: The Next Generation — Blood-Stage and Transmission-Blocking Vaccines
While the liver-stage vaccines (RTS,S and R21) are the current standard, 2026 is seeing exciting advancements in "Next-Generation" vaccine candidates.
Research is now entering late-stage trials for Blood-Stage vaccines, such as RH5.1/Matrix-M, which target the parasite as it infects red blood cells. These are designed as a "second line of defense" if any parasites slip past the liver-stage immunity. Additionally, work is progressing on Transmission-Blocking Vaccines (TBVs), which prevent the parasite from developing within the mosquito after it bites a vaccinated person. The ultimate goal for the late 2020s is a "multistage" vaccine—a single shot that combines multiple antigens to attack the parasite at every point in its life cycle, potentially leading to the complete eradication of the disease in targeted regions.