New malaria vaccine target found
The researchers found people who are immune to malaria develop antibodies that primarily attack a protein known as PfEMP1, which could be a target for vaccines against malaria. Image: Henrik_L/iStockphoto Researchers at the Burnet Institute have made a major breakthrough in the quest for a vaccine against malaria, which causes up to one million deaths each year.Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, this research reveals a key target of the immune system’s attack against malaria. The findings show that people who are immune to malaria develop antibodies that primarily target a protein known as PfEMP1, which is produced by Plasmodium falciparum, the causative organism of most cases of malaria.Head of Burnet’s Centre for Immunology and senior author of the study, Professor James Beeson, said that these findings are a major advance towards developing an effective vaccine because they unlock the mystery of which malaria proteins, known as variant surface antigens (VSAs),...