The core ingredient of a newly approved malaria vaccine is almost 35 years old; researchers have known since the late 1990s that the formula was probably somewhat effective at protecting against the virus. (via undarkmag)
the gene for the protein in 1984, the military asked them to develop a malaria vaccine to protect troops overseas. Government officials then enlisted Smith, Kline & French, a precursor company to the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, to help.
Still, attention to the vaccine, Greenwood recalled, was driven more by intellectual interest than a sense of medical urgency—at least for the broader public, beyond American troops. “I don’t think there was any sort of push. It was done by people who were more academics and interested in the immunology,” he said. “It wasn’t seen as a public health issue.”
GSK agreed to go forward—provided Ballou and his colleagues could come up with some additional funding from a partner organization. There was a high risk the project would fail; even if it did succeed, GSK could expect little financial reward. And the U.S. military was no longer interested in RTS,S, unconvinced the efficacy would do enough to protect the troops.
As the vaccine makers began launching trials in African countries, they soon realized that the task of testing the vaccine was going to be far from easy. There were a lot of logistical issues, said Ballou. “We had to go and there would be a building with nothing in it, just a concrete shell, and we had to turn it into a laboratory,” he recalled. “That took time, that took money.”
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
After 35 years, the Elephant Rock cycling event takes its final spin next weekThe venerable Elephant Rock cycling event, which dates back to 1987, will be held for the final time next weekend. (via thknwco)
Read more »
A teacher in Uvalde, Texas, describes ‘the longest 35 minutes of my life’“What do you want me to say?” one Robb Elementary school teacher asked a reporter. “That I can’t eat? That all I hear are their voices screaming? And I can’t help them?”
Read more »
After 35 years, the Elephant Rock cycling event takes its final spin next weekThe venerable Elephant Rock cycling event, which dates back to 1987, will be held for the final time next weekend. (via thknwco)
Read more »
AOC Tells Boebert to “Just Quit” After Tweet Rejecting Solutions to Gun ViolenceAOC slammed Boebert for saying that the root of gun violence could never be addressed, “Just quit instead of acting like a useless piece of furniture when babies are shot with AR15s that we let teen boys impulse buy before they can legally have a beer.”
Read more »