Science TechnologyThursday, 30 April 2026·https://testbook.com/current-affairs/30-april-2026-daily-current-affairs
Oxford and Serum Institute license R78C malaria vaccine candidate in April 2026
The University of Oxford licensed the R78C malaria vaccine candidate to Serum Institute of India on 25 April 2026.
Key highlights
Direct fact
On 25 April 2026, the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India signed a licensing agreement for R78C, a next-generation multi-stage malaria vaccine component.
Key specifics
- The licence was granted through Oxford University Innovation as a non-exclusive, worldwide licence.
- R78C was developed by the Draper Lab in the Department of Paediatrics at Oxford.
- The candidate uses two Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage antigens, RIPR and CyPRA.
- SII also signed a parallel agreement with ExpreS2ion to access the ExpreS2 expression platform.
- The collaboration builds on the 2019 licensing of the R21 pre-erythrocytic stage vaccine.
Exam lens
Question type: science-tech collaboration, vaccine development, institution match. Key facts: Oxford, SII, 25 April 2026, R78C, RIPR, CyPRA, R21. TNPSC one-liner: “Which 2026 agreement advanced a multi-stage malaria vaccine candidate called R78C?”