New malaria vaccine 'could provide 100 per cent protection'
A malaria drug has been found to give 100 per cent protection to a number of adults.
Scientists say that in clinical trials nine out of 67 participants showed the best possible response to Sanaria PfsPZ-CV.
But they say that the that protection was likely caused by specific T-lymphocytes and antibody responses to parasites in the liver, suggesting that not everyone would see such benefits.
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However it is hoped that the findings can be used to improve vaccines for malaria, which infected 214 million people in 2015 and killed 483,000 last year.
During the trial, whose findings were published in the journal Nature, live malaria parasites were injected into volunteers. They were also given a dose of chloroquine, which has been used to treat malaria for years, to prevent the disease developing, ITV News reports.
Once infected, the parasite migrates to the liver to reproduce. The disease only breaks out when the pathogen enters the bloodstream and it continues to reproduce.
Chloroquine kills the pathogen in the bloodstream, preventing breakout of the disease.
“By vaccinating with a live, fully active pathogen, it seems clear that we were able to set off a very strong immune response,” Dr Benjamin Mordmueller said.
“Additionally, all the data we have so far indicate that what we have here is relatively stable, long-lasting protection.”
Of the group who showed 100 per cent protection after receiving a high dose three times at four-week intervals, the protection was still in place after ten weeks.
Dr Mordmueller said the trial participants displayed no side-effects and that the next step is to test the vaccine’s effectiveness over several years.