T-follicular helper cell profiles differ by malaria antigen and for children compared to adults.

Circulating T-follicular helper (cT) cells have the potential to provide an additional correlate of protection against () as they are essential to promote B-cell production of long-lasting antibodies. Assessing the specificity of cT subsets to individual malaria antigens is vital to understanding the variation observed in antibody responses and identifying promising malaria vaccine candidates. Using spectral flow cytometry and unbiased clustering analysis, we assessed antigen-specific cT cell recall responses in vitro to malaria vaccine candidates schizont egress antigen-1 (SEA-1A) and -glutamic acid-rich protein (GARP) within a cross-section of children and adults living in a malaria-holoendemic region of western Kenya.