The malaria blood stage antigen PfCyRPA formulated with the TLR-4 agonist adjuvant GLA-SE elicits parasite growth inhibitory antibodies in experimental animals

BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum cysteine-rich protective antigen (PfCyRPA) is an invasion complex protein essential for erythrocyte invasion. In contrast to several previously clinically tested merozoite vaccine candidate antigens, PfCyRPA is not polymorphic, making it a promising candidate antigen for blood stage vaccine development. METHODS: Mice and rabbits were immunized with vaccine formulations of recombinantly expressed PfCyRPA adjuvanted either with the glucopyranosyl lipid A (GLA) containing adjuvants GLA-LSQ, GLA-SE, GLA-Alum or with Nanoalum. ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence assays (IFA) were used to analyse elicited IgG titers and the P. falciparum growth inhibitory activity was determined with a standardized in vitro [(3)H]-hypoxanthine incorporation assay. RESULTS: In the mouse experiments, the GLA adjuvanted formulations were superior to the Nanoalum formulation with respect to antibody titer development, IFA sero-conversion rates and in vitro parasite growth-inhibitory activity. In rabbits, the highest titers of parasite growth inhibitory antibodies were obtained with the GLA-SE formulation. Comparable mean ELISA IgG endpoint titers were reached in rabbits after three immunizations with GLA-SE adjuvanted PfCyRPA doses of 5, 25 and 100 µg, but with 100 µg of antigen, only two immunizations were required to reach this titer. CONCLUSION: PfCyRPA formulated with the human-compatible adjuvant GLA-SE represents an attractive vaccine candidate for early clinical testing in a controlled P. falciparum blood stage challenge trial. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-023-04638-8.