Major breakthrough in war against malaria

Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) have discovered a new pathway through which malaria is able to infect the body, opening up the possibility of new vaccines to combat the virus.

It has long been known that malaria parasites exploit proteins called glycophorins to enter red blood cells. However, this latest research has shown another entry point whereby a parasite molecule named PfRh4 binds to Complement Receptor 1 (CR1), which is a common protein residing on the surface of red blood cells.

“One of the problems with malaria is that it’s like a leopard that can change its spots,” said Professor Alan Cowman, project leader and head of the WEHI’s Infection and Immunity division. Or a "master burglar" which always finds a way to get in.

“Knowing these different invasion pathways and how they operate means that we can attack the key ones.”

Cowman said that the discovery of the PfRh4-CR1 pathway should lead to the development of vaccines with the ideal combination of proteins to defeat malaria.

“When both glycophorin and CR1 pathways are blocked, there is a 90 per cent decrease in infection of the cells with the parasite,” Cowman said.

“These results suggest that if a vaccine were to stimulate the immune system to recognise and generate antibodies to the prevalent invasion pathways, there is a good chance it would lead to a significant decrease in malaria infection.”

Next month Cowman and a number of his colleagues will travel to Washington to meet with representatives from the Malaria Vaccine Initiative, which is expected to assist in getting clinical trials up and running as soon as possible.

The MVI, which is partly funded through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, also contributed to the Australian research, along with the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Darwin Trust of Edinburgh, the Wellcome Trust and the Victorian Government.

The full study was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.

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