Combination vaccines would target multiple stages of the Plasmodium parasite's lifecycle.

MVI is also working on combination vaccines that would target multiple lifecycle stages. For example, combining pre-erythrocytic (anti-infection) and blood stage (anti-disease) vaccines, to target successive lifecycle stages that lead to clinical malaria, may lead to synergistic benefits that enable two moderately efficacious approaches to exhibit profound effects. Further, the incorporation of a transmission-blocking approach into other vaccine approaches (including pre-erythrocytic and blood-stage candidates), could provide both an indirect benefit, by blocking transmission of the parasite within communities, as well as direct clinical benefit to immunized individuals. Over time, the transmission-blocking component would further decrease the probability that an individual who hasn’t been immunized would become infected.