Vaccinating with the genome: a Sisyphean task?
Human trials of subunit vaccines against the asexual blood stage of malaria are yielding disappointing results, supporting the premise that a single recombinant protein will not be particularly efficacious and that additional proteins must be added. The genome sequence of Plasmodium falciparum offers a large number of additional candidates, but which should be chosen? Various criteria have been suggested to rank the additional candidates, but in the absence of even a partially effective asexual-stage vaccine, the criteria remain unvalidated. These issues are discussed here, together with some suggestions as to how the development of an asexual-stage vaccine could be progressed.
Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia. ross.coppel@med.monash.edu.au
Ross L
RL
Coppel
D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D015195:Drug Design; D018503:Genome, Protozoan; D006801:Humans; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D015800:Protozoan Proteins