Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38437239›Full record

ArticlePLoS pathogens2024

Structure-guided design of VAR2CSA-based immunogens and a cocktail strategy for a placental malaria vaccine.

Rui Ma, Nichole D Salinas, Sachy Orr-Gonzalez, Brandi Richardson, Tarik Ouahes, Holly Torano, Bethany J Jenkins, Thayne H Dickey, Jillian Neal, Junhui Duan and 7 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS pathogens, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Exploring theFrontiers in immunology · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Rui MaHost-Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Nichole D SalinasHost-Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Sachy Orr-GonzalezVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Brandi RichardsonVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Tarik OuahesVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Holly ToranoVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Bethany J JenkinsPathogenesis and Immunity Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Thayne H DickeyHost-Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Jillian NealVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Junhui DuanVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Robert D MorrisonVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Apostolos G GittisStructural Biology Section, Research Technologies Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Justin Y A DoritchamouPathogenesis and Immunity Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Irfan ZaidiVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Lynn E LambertVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Patrick E DuffyVaccine Development Unit, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Niraj H ToliaHost-Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-2689-1337
National Institutes of Health · US

Funding

Infectious Diseases Research Technologies Core - BethesdaZICAI001051 · NIAID · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES · PI CHERRY, JAMES · 2009 to 2025
$226.1M
Pregnancy Malaria Vaccine developmentZIAAI001176 · NIAID · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES · PI DUFFY, PATRICK · 2012 to 2025
$5.6M
Structural vaccinology for malariaZIAAI001253 · NIAID · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES · PI TOLIA, NIRAJ · 2019 to 2025
$4.9M
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)National Institutes of Health (NIH)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Placental accumulation of Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes results in maternal anemia, low birth weight, and pregnancy loss. The parasite protein VAR2CSA facilitates the accumulation of infected erythrocytes in the placenta through interaction with the host receptor chondroitin sulfate A (CSA). Antibodies that prevent the VAR2CSA-CSA interaction correlate with protection from placental malaria, and VAR2CSA is a high-priority placental malaria vaccine antigen. Here, structure-guided design leveraging the full-length structures of VAR2CSA produced a stable immunogen that retains the critical conserved functional elements of VAR2CSA. The design expressed with a six-fold greater yield than the full-length protein and elicited antibodies that prevent adhesion of infected erythrocytes to CSA. The reduced size and adaptability of the designed immunogen enable efficient production of multiple variants of VAR2CSA for use in a cocktail vaccination strategy to increase the breadth of protection. These designs form strong foundations for the development of potent broadly protective placental malaria vaccines.

Indexed as

MalariaMalaria, FalciparumMalaria VaccinesAntibodies, ProtozoanAntigens, ProtozoanChondroitin SulfatesErythrocytesFemaleHumansPlacentaPlasmodium falciparumPregnancyAntibodies, ProtozoanAntigens, ProtozoanChondroitin SulfatesMalaria Vaccines

Identifiers

PMID38437239
PMCPMC10939253
OpenAlexW4392367725

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC0
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.