Scientists milk animals for malar...( tein from the deadliest malaria parasit...)

Both mouse strains produced large quantities of the desired vaccine protein, which was used to vaccinate monkeys against malaria. Only one of the five immunized animals contracted the disease. By comparison, six out of seven unvaccinated animals had to be treated for virulent malaria.

The high yield of the protein and its ability to stimulate protective immunity in mice offers promising evidence that the technique could also be used in goats or even cows. The researchers had anticipated future studies in goats by designing the transgenes on/off switch using regulatory elements from goat DNA. Preliminary experiments, which have not yet been published, suggest the procedure works well in the larger animals. That possibility offers a far more practical option for large-scale vaccine production.

Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., who as NIAID director guides an extensive research program on global infectious diseases, believes this approach is promising. Malaria causes untold suffering in the poorest regions of the world, so we cannot restrict our focus simply to finding a vaccine that works, he says. Rather, we must look for innovative strategies that will bring effective vaccines to regions where economic conditions preclude the use of costly alternatives. Transgenic animals could be one way to accomplish that goal.

The study involved many researchers from the two participating institutions. Among these, Drs. Li-How Chen and Harry Meade directed the studies conducted at Genzyme Transgenics. B. Fenton Hall, M.D., from NIAIDs Parasitology and International Programs Branch, also helped initiate the project and played an active role in its development.

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Contact: Sam Perdue
sp189u@nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
17-Dec-2001