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Accelerating the fight against malaria

AlphaFold: Impact stories

Scientists are using AlphaFold to accelerate research in nearly every field of biology.

Over 2 million researchers in over 190 countries are using the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database to inform their research.

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From building more effective malaria vaccines to breaking down single-use plastics, AlphaFold is helping scientists accelerate research in nearly every field of biology.

It normally takes four years to identify and characterise one of these small proteins. With the help of AlphaFold we managed 23 in a few months.

Professor Renier van der Hoorn
University of Oxford

AlphaFold has allowed us to take our project to the next level, from a fundamental science stage to the preclinical and clinical development stage.

Professor Matthew Higgins
Biochemist

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Accelerating the fight against malaria
13 October 2022

Accelerating the fight against malaria

Malaria is second only to tuberculosis in terms of its devastating global impact. The disease killed an estimated 627,000 people in 2020, mostly children under five.

Existing malaria vaccines only target the first stage of the parasite’s life cycle and have limited efficacy. A vaccine effective at every stage of the life cycle would help prevent transmission of the disease – as well as protecting those exposed.

AlphaFold has helped researchers understand the full-length structure of a critical protein related to the disease. This breakthrough has marked a turning point in their work, enabling further research into a transmission-blocking vaccine to help combat malaria.

Research credits

  • Professor Matthew Higgins, University of Oxford
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA