Children aid malaria vaccine efforts
US researchers working on a potential vaccine for malaria have found an unexpected source of aid in a group of Tanzanian children who are naturally immune to the disease. The team, from the Center for International Health Research at Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University School of Medicine, found that the children produce an antibody that attacks the parasite that causes malaria, and that injecting the antibody into mice protected them from this disease.
“I think there’s fairly compelling evidence that this is a bona fide vaccine candidate,” said Professor Jake Kurtis, of the Center for International Health Research. “However, it’s an incredibly difficult parasite to attack. It’s had millions of years of evolution to co-opt and adapt to our immune responses – it really is a formidable enemy. I am cautious. I’ve seen nothing so far in our data that would cause us to lose enthusiasm. However, it still needs to get through a monkey study and the next phase of human trials.”
The newest figures from the World Health Organization suggest that malaria killed over 600,000 people in 2012, with 90 per cent of these deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.