A team of scientists discovered a new human antibody that can prevent malaria infections by binding a specific portion of a surface protein found in almost all strains of the malaria parasite worldwide. A biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Washington said that the research shows that the antibody called CIS43 protects against malaria better than any antibody that has been described before. She added, the study identified a unique binding site on the surface protein known as circumsporozoite protein (CSP) which could be used to design a vaccine that could tickle the immune system to produce such antibodies.
In the study, the human antibody was isolated from a protected subject who received an experimental vaccine containing whole, weakened malaria parasites. The paired findings -- of both the antibody and the site it targets on the surface protein -- could open…
