MELBOURNE, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Scientists have mapped how the human immune system fights Plasmodium vivax, paving the way for the first effective vaccine against the dominant malaria strain in the Asia-Pacific.
The study, published in Immunity, provides critical evidence of how protective immunity to P. vivax works, identifying specific targets on the parasite and explaining how antibodies function to prevent and clear infection, said a statement from Australia's Burnet Institute on Friday.
"These exciting findings open new avenues for developing P. vivax vaccines to combat the malaria burden globally and support a path to elimination," said Professor James Beeson, head of malaria immunity and vaccines at Burnet, which co-led the study with Australia's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.
WEHI Laboratory Head Rhea Longley said global malaria research and vaccine investment have overwhelmingly focused on Plasmodium falciparum, leaving major knowledge gaps for P. vivax.
"Unlike P. falciparum, P. vivax has unique biological features including a dormant liver stage that causes relapses, making it more difficult to eliminate," Longley said.
Using blood samples from children in Papua New Guinea, a region heavily affected by P. vivax, researchers found that protection depends not only on the presence of antibodies but also on how they function and which parasite proteins they target.
Researchers identified antibody responses that recruit immune cells and activate immune pathways to attack the parasite, with stronger effects -- and over 75 percent reduced malaria risk -- when targeting multiple proteins, providing a clear strategy for future vaccine development. ■