Malaria asexual blood stages: a European network. The caracterization and immunogenicity of plasmodium falciparumasexual blood stage antigens

Objective

THIS PROPOSAL IS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE THE VACCINE POTENTIAL OF THE GLUTAMATE RICH PLASMODIUM ANTIGEN GLURP. THE STUDY WILL INCLUDE WORK ON ANIMAL MODELS RUN IN PARALLEL WITH STUDY OF HUMANS LIVING IN ENTOMOLOGICALLY AND EPIDEMIOLOGICALLY WELL DEFINED MALARIA ENDEMIC AREAS. THE AIM IS TO COMBINE THE IMMUNOLOGICAL, BIOTECHNOLOGICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL APPROACHES TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE PROGRESS MADE OVER THE PAST DECADE IN MANY AREAS OF BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND ENTOMOLOGICAL PARTS WILL PARTICULARLY INVOLVE THE MOZAMBICAN AND ZIMBABWEAN SCIENTISTS.
THE SPECIFIC AIM IS TO EVALUATE THE PROTECTIVE IMMUNOGENCITY OF THE RECENTLY CLONED PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM ANTIGEN GENE CODING FOR A GLUTAMATE RICH PROTEIN GLURP WHICH IS A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT REALIZED UNDER STDII CONTRACT 0057. THE INDICATION OF GLURP BEING EXPRESSED IN ALL ASEXUAL PARASITE LIFE STAGES IN THE HUMAN HOST RAISES SIGNIFICANTLY THE PROSPECTS OF THE POTENTIAL OF THIS MOLECULE. THE FIRST PRIORITY OF OUR STUDIES ON GLURP IS TO MAKE A FULL EVALUATION OF THE PROTECTIVE IMMUNOGENICITY OF THE MOLECULE WHICH WILL INCLUDE A VACCINATION TRIAL IN AOTUS MONKEYS IN COLLABORATION WITH WRAIR.
THE GLURP ANTIGEN SHARES COMMON CHARACTERISTICS WITH OTHER
PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM ANTIGENS BUT THERE ARE NO SEQUENCE HOMOLOGIES. THE MAJORITY OF ASEXUAL ERYTHROCYTE STAGE ANTIGENS ARE ALSO
EXPRESSED DURING HEPATOCYTIC DEVELOPMENT, THIS QUESTION WILL BE SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE EC FINANCED NETWORK ON LIVER STAGE ANTIGENS.
THE STUDIES ON ANTIPARASITE IMMUNITY WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH BASELINE ENTOMOLOGICAL STUDIES IN THE FIELD.
THIS PROPOSAL IS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PROPOSAL OF DR THOMAS,TNO MEANT TO FORM THE BASIS FOR A MORE EXPANDED "NETWORK" OF

LABORATORIES CONCERNED WITH THE ASEXUAL BLOOD STAGE PARASITE. OUR SET UP WITH A STRONG EPIDEMIOLOGICAL COMPONENT GIVES AMPLE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHER LABORATORIES WITHIN THE "NETWORK" TO HAVE EVALUATED THEIR ANTIGENS IN FIELD STUDIES.

Fields of science

• medical and health sciences › health sciences › infectious diseases › malaria
• natural sciences › biological sciences › biochemistry › biomolecules › proteins
• medical and health sciences › basic medicine › pharmacology and pharmacy › pharmaceutical drugs › vaccines

Programme(s)

• FP3-STD 3 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the life sciences and technologies for developing countries, 1990-1994

Topic(s)

Data not available

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

STATENS SERUM INSTITUT

Address

5,artillerivej 5
2300 Koepenhagen
Denmark

Participants (4)

BLAIR RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Zimbabwe

Address

Josiah Tongogara - Mazowe Avenues, St Blair Resea
30 Couseway Harare

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH

Mozambique

Address

Av. Eduardo Mondlane / Salvador Allende
Maputo

Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek

Netherlands

Address

151,lange Kleiweg
2280 HV Rijswijk

UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI CAMERINO

Italy

Address

2,via F. Camerini 2
62032 Camerino