​​Adrian V.S. Hill​

Scientists have long tried to develop an effective malaria vaccine, with over 150 candidates entering human trials. Yet most provided only modest or short-lived protection, often achieving only 30–50% efficacy in young children. Earlier attempts did not present enough of the malaria-specific antigen needed to trigger a strong immune response and included components that diverted the body’s defences.

The R21/Matrix-M vaccine overcomes these longstanding constraints. It forms tiny nanoparticles that mimic the size and shape of a virus, a target the human immune system has naturally evolved to recognise. Unlike its predecessors, R21/Matrix-M is fully coated with malaria-specific antigens and avoids elements that divert the body’s defences. When combined with the Matrix-M adjuvant, the vaccine produces a significantly higher immune response, achieving protection levels around 75-80%.

Hill’s vaccine is also developed with real-world use in mind. It is cost-effective to produce, remains stable for up to two years in a standard refrigerator, and even at 37°C, stays stable for about 30 days, meaning it can cope with brief breaks in refrigeration. These features ensure the vaccine can be produced at scale and delivered reliably, even in remote or resource-limited settings.

Dedicated to making a difference

In the late 1980s, Hill worked as a researcher at a hospital in Gambia, an experience that would profoundly change his life and shape his career. “I saw children dying from malaria right in front of me. That experience stayed with me and convinced me that we needed something better than what was available.”

Over the following decades, Hill led a sustained scientific effort to develop a more effective malaria vaccine, but progress depended on more than laboratory expertise. It required broad, long-term international collaboration and significant public funding. Support from bodies including the UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and several major European Union programmes enabled the scientific continuity needed for a project of this scale.

At the University of Oxford, Oxford University Innovation—the institution’s technology transfer office—also played a key role by helping secure industrial partnerships that enabled early-stage research to be turned into a deployable vaccine. Oxford co-developed R21/Matrix-M with the Serum Institute of India, whose capacity for large-scale, low-cost manufacturing enabled the production of the vaccine at the volumes required. Novavax’s Matrix-M adjuvant, developed in Sweden, completed the formulation. Clinical trials were conducted by leading African research centres in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali and Tanzania, producing exceptionally high-quality data. African regulators also demonstrated strong leadership, with several countries approving R21 before the WHO issued its recommendation.

R21/Matrix-M is now being introduced across more than twenty African countries. The broad rollout supports the long-term ambition of malaria eradication, a goal Hill believes is ambitious but achievable.

About the inventor

Sir Adrian V.S. Hill is the Founding Director of the Jenner Institute and Chair of the Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine at the University of Oxford. Born in Ireland, he studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin before completing a DPhil in human genetics at Oxford. Hill has led the creation and deployment of vaccine technologies that underpin both the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. Together, these vaccines have helped save more than six million lives between 2021 and 2025.