Whole-parasite malaria vaccine shows promise in clinical trial
For the first time, a malaria vaccine that uses the entire malaria parasite has proven safe and shown promise to produce a strong immune response in a clinical trial, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development. The vaccine is unique in that it employs the entire malaria parasite, while most experimental malaria vaccines consist of just one or at most a few proteins found in the parasite. Researchers found that the vaccine the first whole parasite vaccine to be approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for clinical trials could provide unprecedented immune responses against malaria when administered intravenously. The study was published online in the journal Science this week.