The merozoite surface protein-1 represents a prime candi-date for development of a malaria vaccine. Merozoite sur-face protein-1 has been shown to demonstrate high-activity peptide binding to human red blood cells. One of the high-activity binding peptides, named 5501, located in the N-terminus (amino acid sequence MLNISQHQCVKKQ CPQNS) of the 19-kDa molecular mass fragment of mero-zoite surface protein-1, is conserved, nonimmunogenic and nonprotective.