Australasian Biotechnology,
Volume 8 Number 2, March/April 1998, pp. 91-95
Apical Membrane Antigen 1: A Leading Malaria
Vaccine Candidate
Robin F. Anders, Pauline E. Crewther and Anthony N. Hodder,
Code Number:AU98017
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The development of a malaria vaccine remains one of the
world's major public
health
priorities. Numerous proteins in several different life cycle
stages have been identified as
potential vaccine components. In the asexual blood stages of
Plasmodium
falciparum two
antigens, merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1) and apical membrane
antigen 1 (AMA1) stand
out as the leading vaccine candidates because of the extensive
assessment of vaccines
containing these antigens in animal models of the human disease.
Studies in monkeys and
mice have shown that AMA1 can induce antibody-mediated protective
immune responses.
Diversity in AMA1 exists but whether this limits the efficacy of
an AMA1 vaccine will need to
be examined in clinical trials carried out in areas where malaria
is endemic.
Copyright 1998 Australian Biotechnology Association Ltd.
