Scientists make malaria breakthrough
Experts from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, working in partnership with scientists from the Gambia, Kenya, Cameroon and Mali, have made a major breakthrough in the battle against malaria. The new research, published in the PLoS Pathogens journal, has identified protein molecules that occur in different forms of malaria, including some of its more severe offshoots. The molecule binds red blood cells into clumps called rosettes, which can block the flow of blood and cause brain damage. The research has also uncovered strains of antibodies that can target these proteins and help to combat the disease.
Experts from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, working in partnership with scientists from the Gambia, Kenya, Cameroon and Mali, have made a major breakthrough in the battle against malaria. The new research, published in the PLoS Pathogens journal, has identified protein molecules that occur in different forms of malaria, including some of its more severe offshoots. The molecule binds red blood cells into clumps called rosettes, which can block the flow of blood and cause brain damage. The research has also uncovered strains of antibodies that can target these proteins and help to combat the disease.
Around one million people die of malaria every year, mostly in the sub-Saharan region, where it is carried by mosquitos. Now that this key surface protein has been identified, it is thought that scientists may be able to tailor vaccines and treatments specific to its biological properties. “We knew that clusters – or rosettes – of blood cells were found in many cases of severe or life-threatening malaria,” said study leader Alexander Rowe, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences, “so we looked at rosette-forming parasites and found a common factor that we could target with antibodies.”
As a result of the breakthrough, expatriates may soon be able to take out international travel insurance policies to inoculate themselves against malaria.