Breakthrough by Danish scientists in preventing maternal malaria
Sunday, February 7, 2010 - 10:56
in Health & Medicine
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have become the first in the world to synthesise the entire protein that is responsible for life-threatening malaria in pregnant women and their unborn children. The protein known as VAR2CSA enables malaria parasites to accumulate in the placenta and can therefore potentially be used as the main component in a vaccine to trigger antibodies that protect pregnant women against malaria. The research team is now planning to test the efficacy of the protein-based vaccine on humans. The hope is that within 10 years all African girls could be vaccinated against maternal malaria, thereby preventing more than 200,000 deaths a year...