VATIS UPDATE Article

According to the results of a clinical trial conducted by University of Tubingen, Germany, in collaboration with the biotech company Sanaria, the United States, a new vaccine for malaria is up to 100% effective when assessed at 10 weeks after last dose. The vaccine called Sanaria PfSPZ-CVac incorporated fully viable – not weakened or otherwise inactivated – malaria pathogens together with the medication to combat them.

The study involved 67 healthy adult test persons, none of whom had previously had malaria. The best immune response was shown in a group of nine test persons who received the highest dose of the vaccine three times at four-week intervals. At the end of the trial, all nine of these individuals had 100% protection from the disease. “That protection was probably caused by specific T-lymphocytes and antibody responses to the parasites in the liver,” said Professor Peter Kremsner.

The researchers analysed the bodies’ immune reactions and identified protein patterns which makes it possible to further improve malaria vaccines. They injected live malaria parasites into the test subjects, at the same time preventing the development of the disease by adding chloroquine, which has been used to treat malaria for many years. This enabled the researchers to exploit the behaviour of the parasites and the properties of chloroquine. Once the person is infected, the Plasmodium falciparum parasite migrates to the liver to reproduce.