Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026
07:14
Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds
Published on: July 11, 2025
Platform for Plasmodium vivax vaccine discovery and development.
Sócrates Herrera Valencia1, Diana Carolina Rodríguez, Diana Lucía Acero
1Caucaseco Scientific Research Centre, Cali, Colombia. sherrera@inmuno.org
Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
|September 2, 2011
Summary
Developing a Plasmodium vivax malaria vaccine faces challenges due to limited research resources. This study outlines strategies and progress in P. vivax vaccine development, highlighting Latin America's potential.
Area of Science:
- Malariology
- Vaccinology
- Tropical Public Health
Background:
- Plasmodium vivax is the most prevalent malaria parasite in the Americas, causing significant global health issues.
- Developing a malaria vaccine is crucial for disease control and eradication, but P. vivax vaccine research lags behind P. falciparum due to cultivation and funding challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the overall strategy and progress in Plasmodium vivax vaccine research.
- To discuss the potential of Latin America in establishing a comprehensive vaccine development platform.
Main Methods:
- Review of antigen discovery, preclinical, and clinical development pathways for P. vivax vaccines.
- Assessment of regional capabilities and opportunities in Latin America for vaccine development.
Main Results:
- Limited progress in P. vivax vaccine development compared to P. falciparum, with candidates in earlier trial phases.
- Identification of challenges including lack of in vitro culture and insufficient funding.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive platform for P. vivax vaccine development is needed.
- Latin America holds significant regional potential to contribute to and advance P. vivax vaccine research and development.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Malaria
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
01:22American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
01:30Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...
01:28Preclinical Development: Overview
Preclinical development consists of a series of tests that ensure the safety and efficacy of a new therapeutic compound before it is tested in humans. There are four main phases to this process. First, safety pharmacology tests are conducted to ensure the drug does not produce any acutely harmful effects. These tests examine parameters such as bronchoconstriction, cardiac dysrhythmias, blood pressure changes, and ataxia. Next, preliminary toxicological testing is performed to determine the...
01:23Vaccine Production
Vaccine production involves a sequence of upstream and downstream processes to generate a safe and effective immunological product. It begins with cultivating microorganisms, such as viruses or bacteria, to obtain antigenic material. For viral vaccines, mammalian host cells are grown in bioreactors and subsequently infected with the target virus. The virus replicates within the host cells, which are lysed to release viral particles. This lysate is then clarified through filtration or...
01:21Antiprotozoal Agents
Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...