According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2024, with children under five accounting for about 75% of malaria deaths in the WHO African Region. Traditional malaria vaccines achieved only modest protection, particularly in young children. Professor Hill and his team developed a vaccine that presents more of the malaria-specific protein regions needed to trigger a strong immune response, helping to achieve around 75–80% protection in clinical trials.
The European Inventor Award recognises inventors whose innovations provide answers to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The other finalists in the Research category were Portuguese researcher Paula Videira and team for a high-precision antibody that distinguishes cancer cells from healthy tissue and Finnish physicist Mikko Möttönen for an ultrasensitive cryogenic microwave sensor to improve quantum computing hardware.
Professor Adrian Hill, Lakshmi Mittal Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, said: 'I am delighted to accept this prestigious award on behalf of the many hundreds of people who have contributed to the discovery, development and licensure of our malaria vaccine over the past 12 years.'