Vaccine against malaria: Scientists have found the "Achilles heel" of the malarial parasite
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Using a technique developed by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, scientists found that a malarial parasite only needs one receptor to penetrate red blood cells (red blood cells). They hope that their discovery, described in a scientific article in the journal Nature, reveals new promising ways for the successful development of antimalarial vaccines.
Senior co-author Dr. Gavin Wright, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger UK, told the press that they may have found the "Achilles heel" of the malarial parasite - how it gets into red blood cells: "Our results were unexpected and completely changed our view of this disease."
Malaria is a disease that develops as a result of mosquito bites infested with parasites of Plasmodium. The disease kills about a million people every year, mostly children in Africa.
After penetration of the parasite into the red blood cells, the clinical stage of the disease develops, which leads to the appearance of typical symptoms of malaria, and often ends in death.
Despite years of research, there are currently no licensed malaria vaccines that would prevent the penetration of the parasite into red blood cells. It aggravates the task and good adaptation of the parasite. Previously, scientists have identified many potential receptors that are responsible for the penetration of the pathogen into the target. However, when one receptor was blocked, the parasite switched to another, thus infecting the cell.
The receptor is a protein located on the surface of the cell and passes only those agents that have the correct "key" or ligand associated with only these receptors.
In this study, the researchers found one unique receptor, the blocking of which would not allow the parasite to switch to other receptors. This receptor has proven to be universal in relation to all strains of malaria.
The authors of the study hope that this discovery will be closer to the development of an effective vaccine, but additional laboratory tests are still needed to determine the ability to create a persistent immunity.