Queensland Institute of Medical Research
Malaria is one of the world’s major infectious diseases killing almost three million people each year, mainly children and travellers. Many malaria vaccines have been tested but results have been disappointing perhaps because most target only a few fragments of a complex parasite with thousands of components. Alberto’s work proposes that a vaccine using whole parasites and targeting more components should be more effective. His studies show that a vaccine using small doses of whole parasites mixed with a substance to increase immune responses is able to avoid death or severe illness in animals. Because of its simplicity, this vaccine would be easy to manufacture and deploy.
2009