Monoclonal Antibody Aids Global Fight Against Malaria

Monoclonal antibodies may serve as an effective tool in the global fight against malaria, as per a study at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, in collaboration with Duke University, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. It was found that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) such as CIS43 were found to be most effective in a culture-based assay that measured malaria parasites' ability to infect a human liver cell, while another mAb 317 showed the best activity in a mouse infection model.

Thus distinct sites on the circumsporozoite protein that can be exploited for developing improved vaccines, are reflected upon by different assay outcomes for mAbs. Circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is a type of protein secreted by the sporozoite stage of the malaria parasite. It is also the antigenic treatment target of a developing pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccine.

Global Fight against Malaria

Malaria is spread by infectious mosquitoes, especially by Plasmodium sp., that affects humans and other animals. It is characterized by symptoms like fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. Yellow skin, seizures, coma, or death may occur in severe cases.

Malaria affects over 200 million cases and kills hundreds of thousands of people every year especially in impoverished and resource-limited areas of the world. A cornerstone for prevention and treatment of malaria – antimalarial drug effectiveness can be sub-optimal due to ever-emerging resistance, the need for frequent administration, and difficulties with compliance.

Due to the repeated low efficacy rates shown in field vaccine trials, the researchers are now shifting their interest towards monoclonal antibodies for targeting against the circumsporozoite protein of the parasite.

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The mAbs may offer longer protection up to months soon after the administration of a single injectable dose, unlike vaccines that require multiple doses and many months to develop protection. Also, the mAbs can be developed at a fraction of the cost of developing new drugs.

"This was a critical study and will help to guide our future work in isolating monoclonal antibodies of unique specificity and activity from ongoing clinical trials of the FMP013 and FMP014 malaria vaccines that were developed at the WRAIR, in collaboration with our malaria research partners", says Army Col. Jason Regules, MD, director of WRAIR's Malaria Biologics Branch.

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Source-Medindia