New Malaria Vaccine May Stop Deadly Parasites in Their Tracks

[TECH NEWS]

A new malaria vaccine with the potential to neutralize all strains of the most deadly species of malaria parasite has been developed by an Oxford University-led team. The scientists from the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford have shown that their vaccine induces an antibody response in animal models that is capable of neutralizing all the strains they tested of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The group led by Dr Simon Draper, with colleagues from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Kenyan Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Programme in Kilifi, Kenya, have published their findings in the journal Nature Communications. The results add to a key discovery reported last month. Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute identified a potential ‘Achilles’ heel’ in the malaria parasite that could hold significant promise for vaccine development. This is an important step towards developing a much-needed vaccine against one of the world’s major killers. Their research published in the journal Nature showed that the P. falciparum parasite relies on a single protein – the antigen RH5 – to “unlock” the doorway for the parasite to enter red blood cells. Once there, it grows and replicates, causing potentially life-threatening disease.

Dec 20, 2011, University of Oxford