Malaria vaccine candidate has been produced from algae that prevents transmission of the malaria parasite from host to mosquito.
Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine used algae as a mini-factory to produce a malaria parasite protein, which paired with an immune-boosting cocktail suitable for use in humans, generated antibodies in mice that nearly eliminated mosquito infection by the malaria parasite.
Quiz on Malaria
Introduction: Malaria is a common parasitic disease of the tropics, resulting in a million deaths every year. It is most commonly found in tropical countries. The symptoms of malaria include fever with chills, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Malaria fatalities can be reduced if they are detected early and treated appropriately .
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Senior author Joseph M. Vinetz said that most malaria vaccine approaches are aimed at preventing humans from becoming infected when bitten by mosquitoes that carry the parasite, but their approach is to prevent transmission of the malaria parasite from infected humans to mosquitoes.
Vinetz added that this approach is similar to that of the current measles vaccine, which is such a hot topic of discussion these days, because the goal is to generate herd immunity in a population. They think that this approach is key to global malaria elimination, too.
![Malaria]( "Malaria")
Malaria is caused by a parasite that enters blood through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is characterized by fever, vomiting, shivering, sweating and other symptoms.
To do this, Vinetz and team wanted to produce a large quantity of properly folded Pfs25, a protein found on the surface of the malaria parasite's reproductive cells, which are only present within the mosquito's gut after it feeds on a malaria-infected blood meal. Since antibodies against Pfs25 can halt the parasite's life-cycle in the mosquito, they might also block transmission of the parasite to the next host.
However, properly folded Pfs25 that induces transmission-blocking antibodies has been difficult to produce in the lab and so researchers introduced the Pfs25 gene into the algae, better known for its ability to produce sustainable biofuels, by shooting the DNA into the plant cell's nucleus. Then, after they let the algae do the work of replicating, building and folding the protein, the team was able to purify enough functional Pfs25 for laboratory testing.
Besides its effectiveness as a protein producer, algae are an advantageous tool for developing vaccines because it's cheap, easy and environmentally friendly. The only requirement is simple chemical nutrients to feed the algae, which can be grown in plastic bags and easily scaled up to produce large quantities of desired proteins.
The study is published by Infection and Immunity.
Source: ANI
Malaria
Malaria is caused by a parasite that enters blood through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is characterized by fever, vomiting, shivering, sweating and other symptoms.
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To do this, Vinetz and team wanted to produce a large quantity of properly folded Pfs25, a protein found on the surface of the malaria parasite's reproductive cells, which are only present within the mosquito's gut after it feeds on a malaria-infected blood meal. Since antibodies against Pfs25 can halt the parasite's life-cycle in the mosquito, they might also block transmission of the parasite to the next host.
However, properly folded Pfs25 that induces transmission-blocking antibodies has been difficult to produce in the lab and so researchers introduced the Pfs25 gene into the algae, better known for its ability to produce sustainable biofuels, by shooting the DNA into the plant cell's nucleus. Then, after they let the algae do the work of replicating, building and folding the protein, the team was able to purify enough functional Pfs25 for laboratory testing.
Besides its effectiveness as a protein producer, algae are an advantageous tool for developing vaccines because it's cheap, easy and environmentally friendly. The only requirement is simple chemical nutrients to feed the algae, which can be grown in plastic bags and easily scaled up to produce large quantities of desired proteins.
The study is published by Infection and Immunity.
Source: ANI
Malaria - Waterborne
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general information about About Malaria Causes
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 New Herbal Remedy to Fight MalariaRecent research has shown that the powdered dried leaves of Artemisia annua is much more effective in treating malaria than the purified form of the drug artemisinin. | Advertisement
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