This graphic originally appeared with the article " Halting the World's Most Lethal Parasite ," in the November 2010 issue of Scientific American . We are posting it as background for today's announcement of good success in a phase III trial using a traditional vaccine by GlaxoSmithKline. Scroll down to see the illustration.

For decades the public health community has tried to devise a vaccine that would confer lifetime immunity against the malaria parasite and help stamp out disease. Yet the effort has always been an exercise in frustration. The complex life cycle of the parasite makes it challenging to know the best way to create an effective vaccine. But the advent of new funding and a spate of innovative ideas have changed the out­look dramatically in recent years. For the first time, a vaccine has reached late-stage clinical trials, and dozens of other ideas are in the early development stage. Three different approaches appear here.