Development of an anti-Pfs230 monoclonal antibody as a Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte blocker.

Vector control is a crucial strategy for malaria elimination by preventing infection and reducing disease transmission. Most gains have been achieved through insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), but the emergence of insecticide resistance among Anopheles mosquitoes calls for new tools to be applied. Here, we present the development of a highly effective murine monoclonal antibody, targeting the N-terminal region of the Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte antigen Pfs230, that can decrease the infection prevalence by > 50% when fed to Anopheles mosquitoes with gametocytes in an artificial membrane feeding system. We used a standard mouse immunization protocol followed by protein interaction and parasite-blocking validation at three distinct stages of the monoclonal antibody development pipeline: post-immunization, post-hybridoma generation, and final validation of the monoclonal antibody. We evaluated twenty antibodies identifying one (mAb 13G9) with high Pfs230-affinity and parasite-blocking activity. This 13G9 monoclonal antibody could potentially be developed into a transmission-blocking single-chain antibody for expression in transgenic mosquitoes.
Competing Interests: Competing interests E.B. has an equity interest in Synbal, Inc. and Agragene, Inc., companies that may potentially benefit from the research results, and also serves on the Board of Directors for Synbal and the Scientific Advisory Boards of both companies. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by the University of California, San Diego in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies. The other authors declare no competing interests.