Breakthrough Made in Vaccine against Malaria Using Same Tech for COVID-19

By Staff, Agencies

Scientists are working to develop a new vaccine against malaria, a disease that kills hundreds of thousands each year globally, using the same RNA-based technology used in some vaccines for COVID-19, outlet The Academic Times [TAT] reported last week.

US scientists have applied via pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline to patent their vaccine, which if authorized, will be able to test it on humans.

“It’s probably the highest level of protection that has been seen in a mouse model,” inventor of the new vaccine and a physician, Prof Richard Bucala at Yale School of Medicine, told TAT.

The design of the novel vaccine has reportedly shown promising signs in early tests on animals.

Due to the particular nature of the malaria disease, vaccines have been highly ineffective against it.

The only vaccine available at present, named RTS, was developed over nearly two decades of research and results in only 30 percent effectiveness. After two years that figure drops further to 15 percent, ATA reported.

Malaria is especially detrimental to developing nations and in particular to countries in Africa, which comprise 94 percent of all deaths from the disease. In 2019 alone, about 409,000 deaths were recorded worldwide out of an estimated 229 million cases, according to ATA.