Research moves toward malaria vaccine

A new push funded by the Gates Foundation is targeting the formidable parasite.

By Susan J. Landers, amednews staff. April 2, 2001.

Washington -- Malaria. It is one of the world's most prevalent and deadly diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that between 300 million and 500 million people are infected annually, 1 million to 3 million die each year, and 2.3 billion are at risk of the illness, transmitted through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito.

But recently, stepped-up attention has resulted from public and private initiatives, advancing prospects for the development of a malaria vaccine.

The heightened interest has likely been sparked by the increasing globalization of the economy, coupled with the recognition that malaria is a significant problem for a large portion of the world's population, said Lee Hall, MD, PhD, chief of the Malaria Vaccine Development Section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

For instance, the National Institutes of Health has increased funding for the quest and, most recently, vaccine manufacturers and research centers are joining with a nonprofit group that is spearheading efforts to produce a vaccine.

GlaxoSmithKline has been working on a vaccine since 1983. The firm's product is considered a promising treatment for protecting children against a strain of the parasite endemic to most of the African continent.

In addition, Apovia Inc., a San Diego-based biotechnology company, and the Emory University Vaccine Research Center in Atlanta, have also formed partnerships with the Malaria Vaccine Initiative. The NIAID signed an agreement to work on this project. [...]

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