Huge efforts have been made to combat malaria for over a century, yet each year hundreds of thousands of people still die from the disease, particularly in sub Saharan Africa. The last decade has seen major reductions in this toll: are we at last on the road to eradication? The latest research charts a path towards a vaccine and new weapons against malaria mosquitoes. Faith Osier is Professor of Malaria Immunology at Oxford University and Chris Thomas is Professor of Zoology and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at Aberystwyth University.