Pregnancy-associated malaria vaccine found safe in human trials

Pregnancy-associated malaria vaccine found safe in human trials  |  Photo Credit: Thinkstock

New Delhi: A team of researchers claimed to have developed a vaccine that can help protect against pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) caused by infection with Plasmodium falciparum. It is reported that PAM claims some 220,000 lives each year. According to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, the new vaccine was found safe to use in an early clinical trial.

The vaccine, developed by a team of researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, passed the test by inducing the right antibody response in the blood in phase 1 clinical trial. In the study, the researchers examined the effect of the vaccine among 36 german male and female volunteers. Read - India sees 24% drop in malaria cases, Odisha best performer in fight against the mosquito-borne disease: WHO

“It is a great milestone for us to be able to show that our vaccine is completely safe and induces the exact antibody response in the blood we want because it is the immune response that has been shown to be connected with protection from pregnancy malaria,” said Morten Agertoug Nielsen, Associate Professor at University of Copenhagen.

During the trial, the researchers, who injected the participants with the vaccine, were able to detect the right immune response with antibodies against the malaria parasite in the blood, and the subjects showed no serious side effects.

According to Nielsen, their next step in the process is a phase two clinical trial, which will show whether the vaccine is still safe, but also whether it can prevent disease.

“Concurrently, we have developed a method for transforming the vaccine into a virus-like particle. This increases the antibody response. But the crux of the matter is whether it is sufficient for attacking all the different forms of the protein hook found in the malaria parasite,” Nielsen noted.

Malaria during pregnancy poses a serious threat to both mother and her developing foetus. Women experiencing pregnancy-associated malaria may show normal symptoms of malaria, or exhibit more mild symptoms, but may also be asymptomatic.

WHO recommends a package of interventions for preventing and controlling malaria during pregnancy. This includes promotion and use of insecticide-treated nets, appropriate case management with prompt, effective treatment. It also recommends administration of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in areas with moderate to high transmission of malaria, such as Africa.