# Delivery of a candidate AgTRIOVx malaria vaccine by thermostable microneedle patches

> **NIH NIH R41** · L2 DIAGNOSTICS, LLC · 2024 · $299,878

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Malaria remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases. Although much progress has been made
in the fight against malaria, a highly effective and durable vaccine is not available. New vaccine
candidates and improved delivery strategies are urgently needed. We recently demonstrated that
a Anopheles gambiae mosquito saliva protein, called AgTRIO, is a viable mRNA-LNP vaccine in
mice, either as a single agent or in synergistic combination with the target of the currently
marketed RTS,S/AS01 vaccine (Mosquirix). This project addresses the real-world problem of
delivery of an antimalaria mRNA vaccine in endemic, resource-poor countries where cold-
chain storage hugely limits deployment of mRNA vaccines. Our product solution employs
novel dissolvable microneedle patches (MNPs) to administer our AgTRIO mRNA-LNP
formulation. These microneedle patches can be self-applied, are less painful than intramuscular
injection, produce no sharps waste, have a long-term shelf life for up to six months at room
temperature, and can be produced at scale with robust methods. The single specific aim of this
project is to produce a novel AgTRIOVx MNP that protects against malaria in a mouse model in
preparation for pre-clinical and human clinical studies at a future phase.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10922217
- **Project number:** 1R41AI184218-01
- **Recipient organization:** L2 DIAGNOSTICS, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** KAREN G. ANTHONY
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $299,878
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-06-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10922217

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10922217, Delivery of a candidate AgTRIOVx malaria vaccine by thermostable microneedle patches (1R41AI184218-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10922217. Licensed CC0.

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