Scientists find evidence of monoclonal antibodies' efficacy in fighting malarial infectionhttps://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-03-scientists-evidence-monoclonal-antibodies-efficacy.htmlScientists at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, in a collaboration the Duke University, have confirmed that monoclonal antibodies can be an effective tool in the global fight against malaria.
The study, led by Dr. Sheetij Dutta, chief of the Structural Vaccinology Laboratory at WRAIR, showed that mAbs such as CIS43 were most effective in a culture-based assay that measured a malaria parasite's ability to infect a human liver cell, while another mAb 317 showed the best activity in a mouse infection model. Dutta added, "difference in assay outcomes for mAbs could reflect distinct sites on the circumsporozoite protein, that can be exploited for developing improved vaccines." The study results were published today in Scientific Reports.
Despite decades of malaria vaccine research, current vaccine candidates have shown low efficacy in field trials conducted in several countries in Africa. Many researchers from around the world have now focused their attention on using mAbs against the circumsporozoite protein of the parasite.
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... Malaria-naïve travelers to malaria-endemic regions must employ anti-malarial countermeasures or also be at risk of grave illness or death. The armamentarium against malaria is limited. Anti-malarial drug effectiveness, a cornerstone for prevention and treatment, can be sub-optimal due to ever-emerging resistance, the need for frequent administration, and difficulties with compliance. ...
Putting the last part of what I quoted into plain English, there is a continual race going on between the parasite responsible for malaria developing resistance to drugs and new drugs being developed. I think there are parts of the world where only one drug of the array of what's "out there" is still effective. This would be a different approach, and one that could be an avenue for future treatments, if necessary.
