Three years before the world celebrated its first malaria vaccine, Prof Faith Osier stood on a dimly lit TED stage and promised a revolution. Today, that revolution is being pipetted into existence in a lab in Nairobi.

As the leader of the Chanjo Hub, Prof Osier is not just conducting research; she is dismantling a century-old narrative of African dependency. Her team is currently piloting a new malaria vaccine using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology—the same breakthrough tech behind the Covid-19 vaccines—right here in Kenya. "We did this in Africa, and we are very proud of that," she asserts, her vision set firmly on a future where African mothers no longer have to wait for donations from the Global North to save their children.

The mRNA Game Changer

The timing could not be more critical. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Africa was left at the back of the queue, waiting for vaccines that were being hoarded by wealthy nations. That betrayal served as a wake-up call. "The wake-up call was that Africa needed to become self-sufficient," Osier tells Healthy Nation. "We needed to supply vaccines for the continent, by the continent."

Unlike traditional vaccines, the mRNA technology Osier is deploying works by teaching the body to manufacture a protein that triggers an immune response. It is faster, cheaper, and requires less massive infrastructure than old-school factories. "You don`t need a huge factory," she explains. This agility allows her team to work with Tasa Pharma, a local partner, to produce clinical-grade candidates that could change the face of public health.

• Two-Pronged Attack: While the Kenyan team focuses on mRNA, Osier’s counterparts in Ghana are mastering egg-based vaccine production for other diseases.
• Targeting the Blood Stage: Current malaria vaccines target the parasite as it enters the body (sporozoite stage). Osier’s candidate targets the blood stage—the phase that actually makes people sick and kills.

Beyond Malaria

The implications extend far beyond malaria. The infrastructure being built today is a platform for the future. If a new pandemic strikes in 2030, the capacity to pivot and produce a vaccine will reside in Nairobi, not just Geneva or New York. By 2027, Osier plans to transfer the full technology package to Kenya BioVax and Tasa Pharma, cementing a permanent manufacturing capability.

For Osier, this is personal. She remembers her days as a junior doctor in Kilifi, watching children die from a preventable disease. "Once it hits you, you will know," she says. "When you see a child with measles or treat a child who has died from malaria... it will not be hard to be convinced." Her work is a race against time, but for the first time in history, the runners are Kenyan, and the finish line is on home soil.