Comparison Of Single-Use And Steel Fermentors For Malaria Vaccine Production

Malaria, a life-threatening disease transmitted by infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, remains prevalent in tropical regions, especially sub-Saharan Africa. In 2022, it caused an estimated 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths worldwide. Significant progress in vaccine development led to WHO approval of two anti-infection vaccines, RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix™) and R21/Matrix-M™, expected to reduce infections by over 30%. Research continues to enhance vaccine efficacy and explore new candidates targeting different parasite life cycle stages.

A key focus is the development of a transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) targeting sexual-stage parasites in mosquitoes to prevent further infections. The NIH and collaborators developed Pfs230D1M, a promising TBV candidate currently in Phase 1/2 clinical trials, showing >80% efficacy in reducing mosquito infections in a Phase 2 trial in Mali. Simplified manufacturing of recombinant Pfs230D1M could enable local production for broader accessibility.

Here, we look at how the Thermo Scientific™ HyPerforma™ Enhanced Single-Use Fermentor (eS.U.F.) facilitated efficient production of Pfs230D1M by offering rapid setup, reduced contamination risk, and high-yield microbial culture growth. With working volumes from 6–300 L, the system was able to enable scalable, high-quality vaccine manufacturing while minimizing infrastructure and maintenance needs.