# Harnessing the Malarial Immunity Omics Landscape in Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Children for Improved Therapeutic Strategies

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2024 · $680,236

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Malaria is currently rising and continues to pose a significant public health threat, with 249 million cases and
608,000 deaths annually, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease disproportionally affects children under
five years residing in holoendemic Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) transmission regions, who account for 94% of
the cases and 78% of the mortality. Young children, such as our study participants in Siaya, Kenya, are highly
vulnerable to developing life-threatening severe malarial anemia [SMA, hemoglobin (Hb)<5.0 g/dL]. To address
this challenge, we have conducted molecular-based clinical research for 23 years in our state-of-the-art facilities
in this high-transmission area. Despite concerted national malaria control efforts, transmission intensity in Siaya
has remained constant over the last decade. During the NIAID-funded R01 (2018-2022; current NCE), we
investigated the impact of immune response genes on the development of SMA in acute disease (day 0-14:
n=820). Findings from these studies provide valuable insights into the relationship between malaria immunity
and short-term recovery. In addition, we recently completed a longitudinal birth cohort study (0-36 months,
n=750) in children who did not receive a malaria vaccine. This study can be leveraged to discover molecular
profiles linked to long-term immunity against malaria in the absence of vaccination. The recent rollout of the 1st
approved malaria vaccine, RTS,S/AS01, in Siaya offers promise for malaria control. However, the vaccine has
limited efficacy, particularly in high transmission settings, and the mechanisms of protection are largely unknown.
For the renewal activities, we propose the recruitment of a birth cohort (0-36 mos.: n=750) that will receive
RTS,S/AS01 using identical recruitment and follow-up. This strategy creates a unique opportunity to examine
temporal molecular profiles in clinical phenotypes pre- and post-vaccination. The overall goal is to identify
essential molecular networks that impact clinical outcomes throughout the crucial phases of naturally acquired
immunity. We will employ mRNAseq to capture the entire expressed human transcriptome and Pf gene
expression (concomitantly in whole blood), along with aptamer-based technologies to catalog the human
proteome (plasma), collectively defining the Malarial Immunity Omics Landscape (MIOL). Temporal measures
of high-dimensional multi-omics data will be analyzed with innovative modeling approaches that integrate
bioinformatics, statistical analyses, and machine learning to achieve the following aims: (1) Determine how
changes in the MIOL influence malarial severity throughout the development of naturally acquired immunity
(unvaccinated children), (2) Determine the impact of vaccination on the MIOL to identify molecular profiles
associated with protection, breakthrough infections, and disease severity, and (3) Identify molecular networks in
the MIOL that can be therapeutically targeted to ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10999914
- **Project number:** 2R01AI130473-06A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Samuel Bonuke Anyona
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $680,236
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2024-08-01 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10999914

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10999914, Harnessing the Malarial Immunity Omics Landscape in Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Children for Improved Therapeutic Strategies (2R01AI130473-06A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10999914. Licensed CC0.

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