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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Knighty Tin who wrote (93773)	12/29/2001 9:36:28 AM
From: JHP	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

Saturday, 29 December, 2001, 00:12 GMT Goats may provide malaria vaccine Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes Developments in genetic engineering have enabled scientists to create the potential for a malaria vaccine to be carried in goats' milk. Scientists hope it could lead to the production of an effective vaccine at a fraction of the cost of manufacturing it in laboratories. Researchers developed transgenic mice which could secrete an experimental malaria vaccine into their milk. A vaccine must not only be effective, it must be cheap to manufacture if it is to be used in those countries hit hardest by malaria Anthony Stowers, malaria researcher When a purified form of this vaccine was injected into monkeys, it protected four out of five animals from a normally lethal dose of malaria. Malaria infects 300-500 million people every year and kills 1 million, according to WHO estimates. Ninety per cent of cases are in sub-Saharan Africa where many nations are also struggling to cope with HIV. 'Exciting possibility' The researchers are trying to scale up their process from mice to larger animals such as goats and other livestock, in the hope they could become inexpensive, high-yield producers of malaria vaccine. The results of this development are published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "A vaccine must not only be effective, it must be cheap to manufacture if it is to be used in those countries hit hardest by malaria," said lead author Anthony Stowers, PhD, a malaria researcher at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the USA. He added: "Using transgenic animals to achieve both ends is an exciting possibility. "If it works, a herd of several goats could conceivably produce proteins for all of Africa." Practical potential Previously, scientists have introduced genes encoding specific proteins into animals to produce large quantities of those proteins for medical use. Dr Stowers and his colleagues investigated whether transgenic animals could produce proteins specifically for use in malaria vaccines. They produced two transgenic mice strains, each carrying a form of the gene for a surface protein from the deadliest malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. They designed the transgenes to be switched on by the cells that line the mammary glands, so that the resulting proteins would be secreted into the animals' milk. Both mouse strains produced large quantities of the desired vaccine protein, which was used on the monkeys. Malaria kills one million people annually Only one of the five immunised animals contracted the disease. Six out of seven unvaccinated animals had to be treated for virulent malaria. Preliminary results of using the same technique in goats, which have not yet been published, suggest the procedure works well in larger animals. This offers a far more practical option for large-scale vaccine production. Professor David Warhurst, from the Public Health Laboratory Service in London, said: "It sounds very interesting. "Four out of five isn't a brilliant result, but it's a nice approach and it might be a good way of producing large quantities of the material." Malaria affects 200 million people every year, of which one million die. See also: 08 Dec 01 \| Health 'Encouraging' malaria vaccine 31 Dec 00 \| Health Scientists 'block malaria' 15 May 01 \| Health The anti-malaria drug dilemma 14 May 01 \| Health Malaria drug 'easier for tourists' 01 Jun 01 \| Health Herb offers malaria treatment hope Internet links: World Health Organisation Malaria Foundation International NIAID The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Health stories now: Goats may provide malaria vaccine Treatment for nerve disorder Mushrooms: 'the new medicine' NHS helpline inundated Long waits 'will continue' Consultant quits over patient care Patients contacted in TB alert Special care for early baby Links to more Health stories are at the foot of the page. Links to more Health stories In This Section Goats may provide malaria vaccine Treatment for nerve disorder Mushrooms: 'the new medicine' NHS helpline inundated Long waits 'will continue' Consultant quits over patient care Patients contacted in TB alert Special care for early baby GP shortage 'will get worse' Stress 'control' helps diabetics Skin cancer websites 'misleading' Violent patients 'can be banned' 'Snore box' spots sleep trouble Drug tackles cancer and brittle bone Quest for more blood donors Shift work link to heart disease 'Chaperones' ward off Parkinson's Hi-tech future for surgery Anti-drugs campaign targets youngsters Brain study offers addiction clues Tumour cell growth blocked Passive smoking 'thrives' in workplace Social life 'may cut Alzheimer's risk' HRT 'delays mental decline' Business booms at Swiss heroin clinic Siamese twins home for Christmas Behind the scenes at Holby -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ^^ Back to top