Comments on: Experimental Malaria Vaccine Could Start Saving Lives by 2011 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/09/experimental-malaria-vaccine-could-start-saving-lives-in-2011/ 80beats is DISCOVER's news aggregator, weaving together the choicest tidbits from the best articles covering the day\'s most compelling topics. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:08:59 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Eliza Strickland http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/09/experimental-malaria-vaccine-could-start-saving-lives-in-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-15645 Eliza Strickland Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:34:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/09/experimental-malaria-vaccine-could-start-saving-lives-in-2011/#comment-15645 You make some good points, Sonia. As you note, the vaccine doesn't prevent infection, instead it triggers a strong antibody response against the parasite once it has entered the bloodstream. But that's how all vaccines work -- a measles vaccine doesn't prevent the virus from getting into the body, it teaches the immune system how to destroy the virus when it sees it. But this malaria vaccine is a much trickier business, it's true. Researchers really don't know why some kids who got vaccinated still came down with malaria; study coauthor Kevin Marsh told Nature News that "no one really knows how RTS,S works." I'll be interested to see in the coming years whether this vaccine really can make a dent in infections, or whether the parasite finds a work-around. You make some good points, Sonia. As you note, the vaccine doesn’t prevent infection, instead it triggers a strong antibody response against the parasite once it has entered the bloodstream. But that’s how all vaccines work — a measles vaccine doesn’t prevent the virus from getting into the body, it teaches the immune system how to destroy the virus when it sees it.

But this malaria vaccine is a much trickier business, it’s true. Researchers really don’t know why some kids who got vaccinated still came down with malaria; study coauthor Kevin Marsh told Nature News that “no one really knows how RTS,S works.” I’ll be interested to see in the coming years whether this vaccine really can make a dent in infections, or whether the parasite finds a work-around.

]]> By: Sonia Shah http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/09/experimental-malaria-vaccine-could-start-saving-lives-in-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-15634 Sonia Shah Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:32:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/12/09/experimental-malaria-vaccine-could-start-saving-lives-in-2011/#comment-15634 The RTS,S vaccine doesn't protect against infection, per se, but against getting sick from the infection. It's a crucial distinction, somewhat obscured in this piece, because it means that the malaria parasite, even under universal vaccine coverage, will continue to survive and evolve. Given that malaria parasites have figured out how to evade every drug we've thrown at them, sometimes in just a matter of a couple years, wouldn't this vaccine, if implemented, be useless in a short while, too? The RTS,S vaccine doesn’t protect against infection, per se, but against getting sick from the infection. It’s a crucial distinction, somewhat obscured in this piece, because it means that the malaria parasite, even under universal vaccine coverage, will continue to survive and evolve.

Given that malaria parasites have figured out how to evade every drug we’ve thrown at them, sometimes in just a matter of a couple years, wouldn’t this vaccine, if implemented, be useless in a short while, too?

]]>