Malaria monoclonal antibody to be developed this year

Malaria continues to affect some low- and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and South Asia. Malaria kills more than 600,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and the latest estimates put him at 619,000 by 2021.

April 25th is World Malaria Day, a reminder to people here in the United States and elsewhere where malaria is not endemic of the impact of its healthcare on the population. Prior to coordinated spraying efforts, malaria was endemic in the United States and was declared nationally eradicated in 1951.

In recent weeks, the University of Oxford has announced that: malaria vaccineR21/Matrix-M has been approved for use in Ghana (one of the endemic countries).

This vaccine was a collaboration between Oxford, Kenya Institute of Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Novavax, and the Serum Institute of India.

Another organization working hard on this vector-borne disease is the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute of Medicine. Gates MRI He is working with Atreca on the development of MAM01 (Mosquirix). This is a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) that the organization is working on that can provide long-term protection against malaria infection. Specifically, their program aims to develop this prophylactic monoclonal antibody to prevent malaria caused by: P sickle In seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) target areas, endemic countries, and countries with active malaria outbreaks, for 3 to 6 months (wet season) after administration to children aged 3 years to <60 months.

Scott Miller, MD, Vice Director for Medical Interventions at the Gates Institute for Medical Research, recently said: contagion And he provided some insight into antibodies and the Foundation’s plans in this area.

Contagion: The United States hasn’t seen a malaria problem for years, but climate change could bring malaria back to the country in much greater numbers. What should clinicians and the general public know about this?
mirror: Malaria was eradicated in the United States in the 1950s. More than 2,000 cases of malaria are brought into the United States each year by travelers returning from malarious areas. Anopheles mosquitoes are still found in many parts of the United States, and although localized epidemics have occurred from these returning travelers, they have not persisted due to improved housing. Malaria reinfection would be very unlikely even with climate change, unlike the increased risk from malaria.

Contagion: Can you provide an update on the latest initiatives and news regarding the Gates Malaria Program as a whole?
mirror: The Malaria Program at Gates MRI is new and started last year. Our first product development efforts will be monoclonal antibodies, but we also plan to work on vaccines for people of all ages to help fight malaria.

Contagion: Come to think of it of Collaboration with Atreca of Gates MRI on the development of MAM01 that can provide protection against malaria infection. Can you give us an overview of the treatment and its mechanism of action?
mirror: MAM01 is a long-acting injection for the prevention of Plasmodium falciparum. It is a monoclonal antibody that targets conserved regions of dominant proteins on the surface of sporozoites, the invasive stage of parasites inoculated into saliva by mosquitoes.

Antibodies have been modified to optimize manufacturability and extend their half-life. Its mechanism of action is to bind sporozoites to the skin or bloodstream to prevent migration and enable destruction by the human immune system. preprint site.

Contagion: How advanced is this treatment in terms of clinical trials?
mirror: Phase 1 trials will begin in the United States later this year and in sub-Saharan Africa next year.