Published on 05/19/2021 10:00 AM | Nijmegen region
Foto: Pixabay
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NIJMEGEN – Radboudumc is testing a new vaccine against malaria, which has largely been developed in Nijmegen. The first volunteers were vaccinated on Tuesday, now it remains to be seen whether the vaccine really works.
According to the hospital, the vaccine does not prevent malaria yourself, but it does prevent it from spreading to other people. This is possible because the vaccine produces antibodies against a protein that plays a major role in the transmission of the malaria parasite to the mosquito. If the mosquito bites someone with malaria, it will also ingest the antibodies itself.
Half a million deaths every year
The antibodies must block the development of the parasites in the mosquito. In this way, malaria can be prevented from spreading further among the population. According to the Radboud university medical center, nearly half a million people die of malaria every year, especially young children in Africa.
The vaccine was developed together with Danish colleagues from the Statens Serum Institute. During the first phase of the study, the safety of the vaccine will be examined in volunteers. It is also examined in the blood of the volunteers that antibodies are indeed formed that can prevent the transmission of malaria.
Article via media partner Gelderland broadcaster
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