The most vulnerable phase of the malaria parasite is when it invades the RBC. Recently researchers have detected 5 effective targets specific to this phase. They first screened 29 targets specific to the invasion phase and raised rabbit antibodies against the targets and tested on Plasmodium falciparum . Among them, 5 specific antibodies reduced the parasite’s ability to invade the RBC. The process is called “Reverse Vaccinology”. The researchers specified that combination vaccine is the only way to provide effective protection against malaria.
Source: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2017 Can we expect a better clinical implication with such discoveries?
