Researchers collaborate on first-in-human study of novel malaria vaccine

An international research collaborative is testing a new approach to malaria vaccine development in humans for the first time. The concept is similar to that used by Edward Jenner to develop a vaccine against smallpox, the only disease affecting humans that has ever been eradicated. Jenner used cowpox, a much less dangerous bovine version of the disease, to inoculate people against smallpox. In this clinical trial, based on data from earlier animal studies conducted by iMM Lisboa, the researchers will use a rodent version of the malaria-causing parasite (Plasmodium berghei) to determine if it can induce protection against infection by Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest version of the parasite that infects humans. In the study, a specific gene from P. falciparum known as the circumsporozoite protein (CS), will be inserted into the rodent parasite, resulting in a genetically modified version known as Pb(PfCS@UIS4). By inserting the gene for CS, the researchers hope...