化学疫苗抗疟疾的新进展

Chemical inhibition of Plasmodium plasmepsin proteins offers a new path for drug-based malaria vaccination Miguel Prudêncio1,2 and Maria M. Mota1 M alaria is one of the world’s most devastat- ing infectious diseases, causing an estimated >600,000 deaths yearly, particularly in children up to 5 years old. Two vaccines that became available in the past few years partially protect children against infection with Plasmodium, the malaria para- site. However, a need remains to increase vaccine efficacy and expand it to other groups of people at risk (1). Plasmodium spo- rozoites infect the mammalian host’s liver without causing ma- laria symptoms, before developing into symptomatic mature merozoites that infect red blood cells. …