Fig. 1

Utility of long-acting antimalarial prophylaxis. Pharmacokinetic exposure to atovaquone monotherapy via oral administration blocks liver and erythrocytic stages of the parasite life cycle within the host (causal and suppressive activity, respectively). However, there is a vulnerability of oral dosing to non-adherence. The current work reports the preclinical development of an intramuscular long-acting nanomedicine, which provides sustained protection to parasite exposure in a preclinical model, expected to provide at least 1-month protection in humans