Designing an effective malaria vaccine targeting Plasmodium vivax Duffy-binding protein

Trends Parasitol. 2023 Jul 21:S1471-4922(23)00147-2. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.06.011. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMalaria caused by the Plasmodium vivax parasite is a major global health burden. Immunity against blood-stage infection reduces parasitemia and disease severity. Duffy-binding protein (DBP) is the primary parasite protein responsible for the invasion of red blood cells and it is a leading subunit vaccine candidate. An effective vaccine, however, is still lacking despite decades of interest in DBP as a vaccine candidate. This review discusses the reasons for targeting DBP, the challenges associated with developing a vaccine, and modern structural vaccinology methods that could be used to create an effective DBP vaccine. Next-generation DBP vaccines have the potential to elicit a broadly protective immune response and provide durable and potent protection from P. vivax malaria.PMID:37481347 | DOI:10.1016/j.pt.2023.06.011

Source: Trends in Parasitology - July 22, 2023 Category: Parasitology Authors: Thayne H Dickey Niraj H Tolia Source Type: research