Protection by the malaria vaccine: not only a matter of quantity but also of quality

A study shows for the first time that the higher the avidity of antibodies induced by the RTS,S vaccine, the greater the protection The quantity and quality of antibodies recognising the end region of the malaria parasite’s CSP protein is a good marker of protection by the RTS,S/AS01E vaccine, shows a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) – an institution supported by “la Caixa”- in collaboration with the Bagamoyo Research and Training Centre, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania, the Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana, the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé in Nanoro, Burkina Faso, and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Switzerland, among others. The study, published in Nature Communications, provides valuable information for guiding the design of future, more effective vaccines. Most vaccines contain inactivated pathogens or pathogen fragments against which the body produces protective antibodies – ideally, a complete and long-lasting protection. This...