Vaccine that protects mice from malaria developed
Posted on: 23/Jul/2016 9:49:26 AM
Scientists at the Institute Pasteur, the CNRS, or the French National Centre for Scientific Research, and Inserm, which is the French Institute of Health and Medical Research have developed a new long-lasting vaccine that protects mice against malaria, a disease that about 3.2 billion people are currently at risk of contracting.
They have experimentally developed a live, genetically attenuated vaccine for Plasmodium, the parasite responsible for the disease.
The scientists enabled the gene to induce an effective, long-lasting immune response in a mouse model by identifying and deleting one of the parasite`s genes. The scientists genetically modified strains of the Plasmodium parasite by deleting the gene that codes for the HRF, or the histamine-releasing factor, protein. The resulting mutants, which no longer expressed HRF, proved to be highly effective in triggering a potent immune response.
