MALARIA VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

MALARIA IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDESPREAD INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF HUMANS AND THREATENS ALMOST HALF OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 350+ MILLION ACUTE CASES WORLDWIDE EACH YEAR, AND APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 2 MILLION INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN DIE IN AFRICA ALONE BECAUSE OF THE DISEASE. TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CONTROLLING MALARIA WITH INSECTICIDES AND DRUGS HAVE BEEN INADEQUATE. THUS, INCREASED ATTENTION HAS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE VACCINE AGAINST THE PARASITE. IN PHASE I OF THIS PROJECT, THE OBJECTIVE IS TO ASSESS THE RELATIVE PROTECTIVE EFFICACY OF IMMUNIZATION WITH VARIOUS SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES BASED ON SEQUENCES FROM THE MAJOR SURFACE PROTEIN OF MALARIA SPOROZOITES. A PLASMODIUM BERGHEI RODENT MALARIA MODEL WILL BE USED BECAUSENO RELIABLE ANIMAL MODEL IS AVAILABLE FOR THE HUMAN MALARIA PARASITES, P. FALCIPARUM AND P. VIVAX. DATA FROM THIS STUDYWILL BE USED TO ESTABLISH PRINCIPLES THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL VACCINE CANDIDATES FOR THE HUMANMALARIA PARASITES.