UK team hails progress over malaria drug

The experimental drug appears capable of neutralising most – or even all – strains of the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which is responsible for nine out of 10 malaria deaths.

It works in a unique way, effectively closing the molecular door that allows the organism to invade red blood cells.

Targeting this “Achilles’ heel” thwarts the parasite’s ability to dodge the immune system by evolving rapidly into new strains.

The research was published yesterday in the journal Nature Communications. Dr Simon Draper, one of the scientists from the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, said: “So far we’ve been able to knock down every strain we’ve been able to produce in the laboratory. That’s why it’s such an incredibly exciting result. Normally vaccines don’t work well because the parasite evolves into new strains the immune system does not recognise.

“If this vaccine turns out to be highly effective in humans, as we hope, it could be a serious contributor to an eradication programme.”

So far the vaccine has been tested in laboratories and on rabbits.