MELBOURNE, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have discovered a new way to help prevent malaria that could turn mosquito bites from a source of deadly infection into ongoing immune boosters against the disease.
The team demonstrated a new vaccination approach that can prime the immune system to fight malaria parasites before they cause disease, with subsequent mosquito bites acting as boosters to strengthen immunity over time, according to a statement released Friday by Australia's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI).
According to research published in Science, the approach protected mice from malaria for up to two years, a period covering two malaria seasons in real-world settings.
Researchers developed a novel immunization strategy that paired mosquito-delivered malaria parasites with investigational antimalarial drug compounds, developed by WEHI and biopharmaceutical company MSD.
The compounds were able to trap malaria parasites at the late liver stage, just before they entered the bloodstream and caused disease, triggering a robust immune response that provided durable protection against malaria, the study showed.
Researchers said subsequent mosquito bites could reinforce the immunity, potentially enabling a "vaccinate and boost naturally" approach in malaria-endemic areas.
A long-acting injectable based on the compounds is currently in preclinical development, the team said.
Malaria caused an estimated 610,000 deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the World Health Organization. ■
