These antigens, which were identified and characterized by Drs. Ruth and Victor Nussenzweig and colleagues at New York University, stimulate the immune system and prime it to fight off the disease in the case of future exposure. Apovia Inc. has already tested the vaccine in mice, rabbits, and small primates. Under the new partnership, the vaccine will next be tested in larger primates and in a human trial in the United States, conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health. If these results are promising, clinical trials in Africa will follow.
Malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito.
The World Health Organization estimates that between 300 and 500 million people are currently infected, and 2.3 billion are at risk. Two million people or more die of malaria every year, and over half of these deaths are of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Because of the way the malaria parasite develops within its victims, many scientists believe that the most effective vaccine will ultimately have to target more than one stage of its development cycle.