For decades, scientists have been trying to develop a vaccine that prevents mosquitoes from spreading malaria among humans.
For decades, scientists have been trying to develop a vaccine that prevents mosquitoes from spreading malaria among humans.
This unique approach — in which immunized humans transfer anti-malarial proteins to mosquitoes when bitten — is called a transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV). A few malarial TBVs have shown promise but they have not been widely tested due to unwanted side effects or limited effectiveness.
That could change.
A biotechnology advancement reported Monday, Oct. 8, in the journal Nature Nanotechnology describes how a University at Buffalo-led research team has devised a simple way to boost the efficacy of malarial TBVs.
If successful, it could help reduce the spread of the disease, which kills more than 400,000 people annually, mostly small children in sub-Saharan Africa.
Read more at University at Buffalo
Image: This is Jonathan Lovell, associate professor Department of Biomedical Engineering (Credit: University at Buffalo)
