Because DC4 DBLβ3_D4 domains are found in group A PfEMP1, which have been associated with increased IE adhesion and severe malaria (6, 15, 42), such conserved epitopes are promising candidates for inclusion in a vaccine that interferes with the PfEMP1::ICAM-1 interaction and confers strain-independent protection against severe malaria. This evidence concerns the gene ICAM1 and malaria.