Tip for Reading List: Vaccine hope against malaria

At the Oregon Health and Science University, scientists tested the new vaccine on infected rhesus macaques, and found that it reduced the malaria-causing parasite’s release from the liver and into the blood by 75% to 80%. While the effectiveness of most vaccines is often short-lived, the researchers have said that their cytomegalovirus-based vaccine platform can create and keep immunity for life. But further research and development would be required.

The World Health Organisation is using one malaria vaccine (RTS,S/AS01, brand name Mosquirix) in three African countries, but its effectiveness has been limited. Most vaccines are designed to encourage the human body to respond to disease-causing pathogens by creating antibodies that disable those pathogens.

The new vaccine takes a different approach. It uses a weakened form of a common herpes virus — a CMV — that infects most people without causing disease. The scientists weave tiny bits of their target pathogen into the CMV.

Those who receive the vaccine produce memory T-cells that can search for and destroy pathogen-infected cells.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are spread to humans through mosquito bites. It can cause high fevers, shaking chills, flu-like illness and, in the worst cases, death. Worldwide, 216 million people were infected with malaria in 2016, leading to 445,000 deaths. Most infections occur in Africa and Asia.
Source: Oregon Health & Science University