Adrian Hill wins European Award for malaria vaccine
Sir Adrian Hill has been awarded the European Inventor Award 2026 for his role in developing the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. The vaccine, which shows high efficacy in clinical trials, marks a major milestone in the century-long effort to combat the disease.
Why it matters
The development of a highly effective malaria vaccine has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives annually, particularly among children in Africa.
The European Patent Office (EPO) has awarded Irish scientist Sir Adrian Hill the European Inventor Award 2026 in the Research category for developing the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. 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.
The article provides factual reporting on a scientific achievement and award recognition.
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