First steps taken toward the development of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine / Treatment News / News

Monday, January 18, 2010

BETHESDA, MD -- The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) today announced a new collaboration to initiate development toward a vaccine that may eventually help eliminate and eradicate malaria.
This collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) and the Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) marks MVI's first investment in transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs). This vaccine approach aims to stop the malaria parasite from developing in the mosquito, effectively blocking transmission of malaria from mosquitoes to humans. Malaria kills nearly 900,000 people per year, most of them children younger than age five.
"The heart-breaking devastation caused by malaria cannot be overstated," according to Dr. Peter Agre, Nobel Laureate and Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (JHMRI). "Blocking transmission by novel vaccines may provide the approach needed to stop the epidemic. MVI deserves great credit for supporting potentially exciting research that would otherwise be abandoned due to lack of precedent."
"Although eradication is a very long-term and aspirational goal, we are excited by the potential of transmission-blocking vaccines to significantly limit the spread of malaria infection," noted Dr. Christian Loucq, Director of MVI. "In combination with other interventions, we believe a successful TBV would provide another important tool in the fight against malaria."
Over the next 18 months, MVI's partners will collaborate to produce and characterize an antigen that can activate the body's defenses to disrupt the complex human-mosquito transmission cycle of malaria. An antigen is any substance that triggers the immune system to produce antibodies against it.
The development team will identify the optimal conditions needed to manufacture clinical supplies of AnAPN1, a mosquito antigen that appears to play a major role in parasite establishment within the mosquito. Preliminary field research has shown that antibodies induced by this antigen are capable of blocking transmission of the two deadliest malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. When a mosquito takes blood from a vaccinated person, these antibodies prevent the parasite from attaching to and invading the mosquito's gut.
"The antibodies that we have produced are effective against multiple malaria parasites and, therefore, this antigen may constitute the basis for a future 'universal' or pan‑malaria transmission‑blocking vaccine." said Dr. Rhoel Dinglasan, lead researcher on this project and faculty member at JHSPH. "This could have a tremendous impact on malaria transmission, even extending beyond those individuals we can reach through a vaccination campaign."
"We look forward to supporting MVI's innovative efforts in the development of transmission-blocking vaccines for malaria," said Dr. Ami Shah Brown, Director of Vaccine Operations for the Sabin Vaccine Institute. "Together with our partners at The George Washington University, we are very excited to utilize our existing vaccine development capabilities and work with MVI and JHSPH to develop the AnAPN1 antigen."

This collaboration—MVI's first project focused on TBVs—reflects MVI's redesigned research and development strategy. The new strategy encompasses a broader outlook on malaria vaccine development and promotes early investment in a variety of approaches that have the potential to reach the malaria community's long-term goal of a vaccine that is at least 80 percent effective against clinical disease for more than four years by 2025. Further, MVI is increasing support for vaccines targeting clinical disease caused by P.vivax, as well as vaccines that could interrupt the cycle of transmission of malaria parasites; two aspects of malaria vaccine development that have historically been poorly funded. These efforts are spurred by a renewed long-term commitment within the malaria community to eradicate the disease.

First steps taken toward the development of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine / Treatment News / News

PAT ROBERTSON,A DEVIL HIMSELF?

It's actually sickening that a supposed "Man of God" could come out with discusses that add salt into injury,to an already suffering people affected by a natural disaster called EARTHQUAKE.How many pacts with the DEVIL has mankond signed in all these situations the world over and why outline certain declarations when people are highly afflicted?Isn't love,care and assistence most wanted here at this moment?
This guy should be really terrible for God's sake!Listen to WHOOPY BLASTING THE GUY CUM PASTOR!
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=9562138

Migrants evacuated from southern Italian town

Italian authorities have evacuated hundreds of migrants from a southern town and brought in extra police after violent protests broke out.

Some 320 African migrants, many of whom work as fruit-pickers in Calabria, were taken by bus to an emergency centre.

Extra police were deployed after two days of riots, during which 37 people were injured and cars were set alight.
The violence broke out after two migrants were shot at with pellet guns by a group of local youths.

Via BBC New

Akon joins Senegal transport industry

The government owned Le Solei Newspaper, quoted a statement from the country’s Department of International Cooperation, Spatial Planning, Air Transport and Infrastructure that the owner of the labels ‘‘Konvict Music’’ and ‘‘Kon Live Distribution’’, based in the US has acquired shares in the newly established Senegal Airlines.
The Senegalese-American R&B superstar, Alioune Badara Thiam, better known by his stage name as Akon, has joined calls by the government of the country of his father's birth for Senegalese Diasporans to join the private sector in a bid to boost the country's economy.By Kemo Cham.

FACTBOX-Cameroon oil, minerals investment projects!

Victoria Oil & Gas Plc (VOG.L) shares rose nearly 13 percent on Monday after the company announced it found gas sands at its Logbaba project in Cameroon. [ID:nLG367318]
Here are details about other investment projects in Cameroon, a West African coastal nation with plans to further develop its energy and minerals resources and expand its ports.

ALUMINIUM, BAUXITE
- Rio Tinto Alcan (RIO.L)(RIO.AX) is a partner with Cameroon's government in Alucam, a bauxite mining operation scheduled to include a 1 million tonne aluminium smelter at Kribi. Rio has said the project, including a 1,000 megawatt hydroelectric dam to power the smelter, will cost some 140 billion CFA francs ($317.6 million). The construction timeline is 2015-18.
- U.S. firm Hydromines, the United Arab Emirates's Dubai Aluminium (DUBAL) and India's Hindalco Industries have formed Cameroon Alumina Limited (CAL), a bauxite mining operation. The consortium says it has found 550 million tonnes of bauxite and is targeting at least another 200 million tonnes. With start-up planned for 2013, the consortium plans to invest $5-6 billion in a bauxite mining and refinery project at Ngaoundal, north of the capital, Yaounde, and a railway linking the project to the port of Kribi, 860 km away. The expected bauxite output is 4.5-9 million tonnes per annum.

COBALT
- Toronto-listed Geovic (GMC.TO) owns 60 percent of a nickel-cobalt-manganese project in Nkamouna, in eastern Cameroon. Geovic expects to produce 4,200 tonnes of cobalt per year and 2,100 tonnes of nickel per year for 21 years. But Geovic said in early 2009 production would be delayed until 2012 and investment was cut to $250 million from $370 million.

IRON ORE
- Australia's Sundance Resources (SDL.AX) has an exploration permit for the Mbalam deposits. Sundance was scheduled to begin exporting iron ore from its $2.46 billion project by 2011 but the firm is involved in tax wrangles with the government and announced in November that production would be delayed to 2013 due to the global slowdown.
Once operational, Sundance hopes to produce some 35 million tonnes of ore per year, bringing in $5 billion in royalties, taxes, and dividends during the 25-year life of the mine.
- The UK's African Aura Mining Inc. (AAAM.L) is exploring its 100 percent owned Nkout iron project located at Djoum in southern Cameroon, adjacent to Sundance's Mbalam project.
- Australia's Legend Mining Limited in September acquired a 90 percent interest in two exploration permits covering an area of approximately 2,400 km2 after it obtained 90 percent ownership Camina (Cameroon Mining Action) SA. in September 2009.

URANIUM
- Nu Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of Canada's Mega Uranium MGA.TO, is exploring for uranium in two sites in the north and the south of the country. After initial positive results in September, the firm is planning a follow-up 2,000 metre drill programme in the Kitongo project in the north.

GOLD
- African Aura Mining Inc. is drilling at the Kambele prospect of its 100 percent owned Batouri gold exploration licence in the East region where the company has recorded visible gold in 25 out of 44 holes drilled.

DIAMONDS

- C&K Mining Inc, a joint Cameroon-Korean company operating near the border with Congo-Republic, is due to begin mining in 2010 with output to be 1 million carats in the first year and expected to reach 6 million carats a year at peak production.