Malaria is a widespread and infectious disease that is a leading cause of death in many parts of the world. Eradication of malaria has been a major world health goal for decades, but one that still remains elusive. Other diseases have been eradicated using vaccination, but traditional vaccination methods have thus far been unsuccessful for malaria. Infection by Plasmodium species, the causative agent of malaria, is currently treated with drug-based therapies, but an increase in drug resistance has led to the need for new methods of treatment. A promising strategy for malaria treatment is to combine transmission blocking vaccines (TBVs) that prevent spread of disease with drug-based therapies to treat infected individuals. TBVs can be developed against surface protein antigens that are expressed during parasite reproduction in the mosquito. When the mosquito ingests blood from a vaccinated individual harboring the Plasmodium parasite, the antibodies generated by vaccination prevent completion of the parasites life-cycle. Animal studies have shown that immunization with Pfs48/45 results in the production of malaria transmission blocking antibodies; however, the development of this vaccine candidate has been hindered by poor expression in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts. Recently, the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been used to express complex recombinant proteins. In this study, we show that the C-terminal antigenic region of the Pfs48/45 antigen can be expressed in the chloroplast of the green algae C. reinhardtii and that this recombinant protein has a conformation recognized by known transmission blocking antibodies. Production of this protein in algae has the potential to scale to the very large volumes required to meet the needs of millions at risk for contracting malaria.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-4071-7 | DOI Listing |
Elife
January 2025
Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Circulating sexual stages of ) can be transmitted from humans to mosquitoes, thereby furthering the spread of malaria in the population. It is well established that antibodies can efficiently block parasite transmission. In search for naturally acquired antibodies targets on sexual stages, we established an efficient method for target-agnostic single B cell activation followed by high-throughput selection of human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) reactive to sexual stages of in the form of gametes and gametocyte extracts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Ther Nucleic Acids
March 2025
Program of Infection and Inflammation, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia.
Currently, no approved antiviral drugs target dengue virus (DENV) infection, leaving treatment reliant on supportive care. DENV vaccine efficacy varies depending on the vaccine type, the circulating serotype, and vaccine coverage. We investigated defective interfering particles (DIPs) and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver DI290, an anti-DENV DI RNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India. Electronic address:
The study aims to evaluate how bacteriocin and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) can influence the development of active packaging for food. The components might enhance the performance of packaging materials in terms of their physicochemical properties and their effectiveness in preserving food. Bacteriocin and EPS exert a significant effect in blocking the transmission of UV and visible light radiations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
College of Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
Soluble starch/zinc oxide nanocomposites could be promising candidates for eco-friendly antimicrobial, food packaging, and a wide range of other utilization. In order to find a new way for the preparation of this kind of nanocomposites, an efficient and energy-saving reaction for the synthesis of soluble starch/zinc oxide nanocomposites has been investigated. The reaction was implemented in a solid state at room temperature without post-reaction calcination.
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