Prepare vaccines to prevent malaria by ... mosquitoes!

A group of international experts, led by American scientist Stephen Hoffman, is developing a malaria vaccine, made from a weakened Plasmodium falciparum parasite . Hoffman, 58, has just founded Sanaria Inc., the biological company whose sole purpose is to develop an effective vaccine to fight malaria.

75 to 100 million doses of vaccine / year

A technician of Sanaria Inc.are handling mosquitoes.The company is using the mosquito's own malaria parasite to manufacture vaccines (Photo: AFP)

To make his project a reality, on October 26, Mr. Hoffman officially opened a company's manufacturing facility in Rockville, Maryland. He hopes to generate 75 to 100 million doses of vaccine annually to vaccinate 25 million children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr. Hoffman, who was the Director of the US Navy Malaria Research Program in the 1980s, emphasized: 'The opening of this facility is an important milestone in the development of vaccines. from malaria parasites'.

According to Hoffman, although many researchers at dozens of laboratories around the world are trying to make vaccines against malaria, Sanaria Inc.'s vaccine development process. is unique today.

In the laboratory, the research team used blood contaminated with Plasmodium falciparum to feed mosquitoes that can transmit malaria to humans. Two weeks later, the parasite has spread in the gut and moved up its salivary glands. Later, these mosquitoes are treated with radiation to weaken the parasites in their bodies. And experts have treated those weakened parasites to make vaccines.

A recent small test of 16 adults showed that weakened Plasmodium falciparum parasites were able to activate immune reactions strong enough to protect the body for at least 10 months, with success rate is 90%.

Stephen Hoffman said the new vaccine could be clinically tested by the end of 2008. (Photo: J. Adam Fenster⁄The Gazette)

According to experts, the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite is the culprit of more than 95% of severe malaria cases and deaths worldwide.

Each mosquito produces 2 doses of vaccine

According to Mr. Hoffman, with this method, the team turned mosquitoes into 'vaccine manufacturers' , with a capacity of 1 mosquito giving 2 doses of vaccine. Speaking to the press, Mr. Hoffman is optimistic that the new vaccine will be tested in a large clinical trial by the end of 2008. However, the team still has much work to do to prove its effectiveness. vaccines.

Hoffman's determination has received strong support from the US government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At the end of 2006, the charity donated $ 29.3 million to his project through the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative.

Hoffman said: 'It takes a long time to produce an effective vaccine to overcome and ultimately eliminate malaria in the world, but the important thing is to contribute to the prevention. stop the deaths of about 3,000 children every day due to malaria '.

According to the World Health Organization, about 300 million people get malaria annually and more than 2 million people die. And every 30 seconds passed, one child died of malaria.

Minh Quang