Description: Welcome to Sumaya Biotech. The focus of the company is on the clinical development of a novel, innovative Malaria vaccine
Fighting Malaria Our Approach “Sumaya” means “malaria” in Bambara, a dialect spoken in Mali. Our scientific founder, the late Prof. Hermann Bujard, travelled to Africa for many years, searching for suitable targets for malaria vaccines. Experiencing the immense suffering caused by this deadly disease first-hand made him truly passionate about saving young children’s lifes. As research progressed, Sumaya Biotech was spun off from Heidelberg University in 2014.
Our lead product, SUM-101 (SumayaVac1), successfully completed a first-in-human clinical trial in 2019, demonstrating safety and immunogenicity. SUM-101 is an innovative malaria vaccine based on the recombinant, full-length merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1). SumayaVac1 is expected to target both the asymptomatic liver stages and the blood stages of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, by eliciting both a humoral and cellular immune response. A safety, immunogenicity and efficacy trial in Tanza
In 2021, Sumaya Biotech’s approach was validated by the EU Malaria Fund, who selected Sumaya Biotech as one of 8 companies to receive funding.