Immunology in medical practice. XXVII. Vaccines against malaria: new perspectives

Malaria belongs to the five most important infections in the world and is responsible for 2-3 million deaths each year. A universally active vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum is not available to this day. However, the feasibility of a vaccine is underlined by the results of experimental studies in animal models as well as by the fact that immunity is acquired in humans after a number of infections. Vaccine development is hampered by the complex life cycle of the parasite as well as by the lack of knowledge about the key molecules involved in the cycle. Moreover the parasite shows an extraordinary capacity to evade the immune response. Over the last decade understanding of the immune response has improved; moreover, a number of Plasmodium derived proteins are in the process or on their way to clinical testing as a vaccine. The most recent activities focus on the delineation of the P. falciparum genome as well as on different strategies for vaccination.