Genetically Modified Fungus Could Help Fight Malaria, Say Scientists

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University of Westminster scientists have developed genetically modified fungi that can kill human malaria parasites in mosquitoes.

Research by Professor Angray Kang in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Westminster, Antibody Technology Group (ATG), has contributed to a significant breakthrough in the effort to control malaria by developing genetically modified fungi that kill human malaria parasites in mosquitoes.

Metarhizium anisopliae, a fungus found in soils throughout the world infects adult mosquitoes through the cuticle. This was genetically modified by the research group and used to infect malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The fungus killed the malaria parasite in the mosquitoes preventing it from being passed onto humans.

Professor Angray Kang says: “This is a major development in the battle against malaria. Efforts to control the disease are normally hampered by an increased resistance of parasites and mosquitoes to drugs and insecticides respectively. This will be a crucial part of the solution of eradicating malaria, which was an ambitious goal set by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is important to understand that we do not treat people using this method, but cure the mosquito before it has had a chance to infect a person. This innovative approach could also offer a solution for controlling other devastating vector-borne diseases.”

Upon contact with the mosquito the fungus immediately bores in through the cuticle. As the fungus eats away at the inside of the mosquito, it multiplies and occupies their circulatory system (hemolymph), eventually killing the insect. This is the same fluid that the malaria parasite has to navigate through to reach the salivary glands and to become infectious. By genetically engineering the fungus to release anti-malarial agents into the hemolymph, it is possible to prevent the malaria parasites from reaching its infectious destination.

Since the fungal spores are taken up by contact, they can be applied to surfaces in the same way insecticides are applied, i.e. on walls, cloth ceilings and bednets by spraying or at baited stations. The idea of this new technique is to break the cycle of mosquito’s transmitting the disease to humans, it can become infected with lethal human parasite Plasmodium falciparum, but this cannot then be further transmitted to humans.

ATG has focussed on creating the antibody based molecules to target the disease agent and have pursued an approach called paratransgenesis to get the antibodies inside insects. This technique involves modifying the bacteria or fungi which can be used to express the anti-parasite antibodies in the insects using a ‘Trojan Horse’ approach. Working alongside Ravi Durvasula, Professor Kang was the first to show that such an innovative approach was feasible in bacteria, and now working with Professor Ray St.Leger it has been applied to a fungus. To allow Metarhizium anisopliae to combat malaria in mosquitoes with advanced malaria infections, ATG designed a form of a human monoclonal antibody PfNPNA-1 that targets the surface of the parasite stage that is released into the hemolymph which then migrates to and invades the salivary glands. The PfNPNA-1 causes the P.falciparum sporozoites to clump as they travel through the hemolymph preventing them from reaching the salivary glands, and therefore halting the spread of malaria.

Other malaria experts aren’t so sure the lab results can be duplicated in the real world. Quoted in an AP story, Janet Hemingway, director of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine said, “It’s a neat scientific idea, but there are questions about (the mutated fungus’s) stability and formulation. She added that the fungus would have to survive months of shipping, as well as survive on the bednets for months after application

Sources: University of Westminster; NPR (AP).

GSK and Johnson & Johnson Announce Malaria Vaccine Collaboration

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GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK Bio) and Crucell NV (Johnson & Johnson) have announced a collaboration to develop a vaccine approach aimed at boosting the efficacy of the world’s most clinically advanced malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S.

The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) today congratulated the companies on the partnership. “We are excited by the potential of this new endeavor for the field of malaria vaccine development overall and very pleased with the way in which the effort announced today aligns with MVI’s own research and development strategy,” said Dr. Ashley Birkett, director of pre- and early-clinical research and development at MVI. “The agreement between GSK Bio and Crucell is an example of the kind of collaboration that will be required to achieve the community’s goal of a highly effective, next-generation vaccine.”

MVI has strong and successful collaborations with each of the parties to this new agreement. MVI has worked in collaboration with GSK Bio since 2001 and is currently supporting the Phase 3 trial of RTS,S. Under an agreement with Crucell, MVI will support the first test in humans of a vaccine approach that includes weakened cold viruses coupled to a protein similar to that used in RTS,S (Ad35.CS and Ad26.CS). The newly announced collaboration will focus on a “prime-boost” approach, using the Crucell cold virus-derived vaccine candidate (Ad35.CS) as a first dose (prime), followed by two doses of the GSK vaccine candidate (RTS,S) to enhance the body’s ability to fight the parasite.

“With a first malaria vaccine on the horizon, we need to be thinking about how to prepare for this major breakthrough in the battle against malaria,” said Dr. Christian Loucq, director of MVI. “At the same time, this new agreement highlights the importance of investing in the development of next-generation vaccines—including those that build on the success to date of RTS,S—so that we can continue to close in on the elimination of this deadly disease.”

“MVI is committed to attaining a world free from malaria,” Dr. Loucq concluded. “We applaud this endeavor between two of our industry partners and hope that it will inspire others to join together in pursuit of ever more effective malaria vaccines.”

Source: PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI)

Republican Budget Cuts Would Kill 70,000 Children Worldwide, Says USAID Administrator

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The GOP’s budget would cause the deaths of at least 70,000 children around the world who rely on American funding, according to the government agency in charge of foreign aid. Of the 70,000 deaths, 30,000 would come from slashing malaria control programs, 24,000 from lack of immunizations and 16,000 from unsafe birthing practices.

“I believe these are very conservative estimates,” USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah told a House Appropriations subcommittee this week.

Read more, via US News and World Report.

Blood Analysis Chip May Revolutionize Disease Detection

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Reporter Kara Tsuboi interviews researchers at the University of California, Berkeley who are working on a new blood-analysis chip or Self-powered Integrated Microfluidic Blood Analysis System (SIMBAS), that can potentially detect hundreds of diseases at once in a matter of minutes.

Bioengineering Professor Luke Lee and post-doctoral researcher Ivan Dimov are at the end of the first phase of testing. They say the  project will make testing for infectious disease faster, cheaper, and easier, which is especially important in developing nations where resources are scarce.

Read more via CNET Health Tech.

Global Fund Calls on Beneficiary Countries to Show Commitment in Attaining MDGs

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Dr Debrework Zewdie, Deputy Executive Director of The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, has called on countries take up the responsibility of commitment to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) regarding the three diseases since it is only four years away.

She said beneficiary countries should be anticipating what to do when the donor fund collapses adding, countries should be able to contribute their counterpart funding for the running of the programme.

Read more, via Ghana News Agency.

Biomagnetics’ Commercialization of Integrated Optical Biosensor

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Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp.,  a developer of diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, cholera and malaria detection, today announced details of next steps to be taken toward full commercialization of the Company’s flagship Integrated Optical Biosensor (IOBS) diagnostic system.

Biomagnetics is currently in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory to develop an  integrated optical biosensor in a portable, handheld technology format designed to substantially lower unit costs and raise the detection levels of some of the world’s most prevalent diseases.

Clayton Hardman, CEO of Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp. stated, “We can now confirm that we are in the preliminary phase of design engineering as we work toward actual commercialization of the IOBS, a significant goal that represents the culmination of our efforts over the past year. After conferring with our design partner, Lathrope Engineering, we will be taking a twofold approach to best reach sales as soon as possible.”

Mr. Hardman continued, “Specifically, we will “ruggedize” the design of our bench top model for shipment and laboratory use, while concurrently miniaturizing the IOBS technology to fit within an easy-to-use hand held unit. We expect to receive a budget and schedule outlining the time-frame-to-completion for this project from Lathrope Engineering in the next two weeks.”

Source: Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., via Business Wire

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Launches AvecNet Collaborative Project to Fight Spread of Malaria

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The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) has launched a collaborative project to develop and evaluate new tools to control the spread of malaria in Africa. AvecNet is a five year, €12 million project involving sixteen partners in Africa and Europe, funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme.

Because malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes, their effective control is essential to combating the disease. Wide scale use of insecticides on bednets and in interior spraying programmes has dramatically reduced transmission but continued success is dependent on a very limited range of insecticides and other tools.

AvecNet aims to secure the continued effectiveness of these methods into the future by developing and evaluating new insecticides and techniques that will overcome the growing threat of insecticide resistance, as well as designing new tools and interventions to target the mosquitoes that currently evade these control methods. The project also aims to increase existing knowledge about the biology and behaviour of mosquitoes to enable more effective control as urbanisation and other environmental factors alter the balance in this continuing fight against an evolving and formidable opponent.

Dr Hilary Ranson, Head of the Vector Group at LSTM and leader of AvecNet, said: “We need to secure the viability of existing malaria control programmes and expand their scope and reach by developing new methods and tools based upon a vastly increased understanding of how mosquitoes behave and react in different environments.

“We will also rigorously field test existing and prototype tools and techniques to both inform their further development and refinement and to add to the knowledge base from which we can develop further tools and interventions.

“By increasing research capacity in Africa and Europe and uniting people with skills in lots of different fields we are going to generate the momentum to achieve what we hope will be a number of significant breakthroughs in malaria control.”

Source: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Pharma Service Company Quintiles Selected for Gates Foundation Consortium Clinical Trials Work

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Quintiles,an integrated biopharmaceutical company, has been named a preferred provider to a consortium of 14 global health Product Development Partnerships (PDPs), funded in part by the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation . PDPs are not-for-profit entities formed for the purpose of advancing global health and the health of the world’s poorest by the discovery, development and delivery of new effective and affordable medicines for the most neglected diseases in the world.

The 14 PDPs anticipate funding 128 phase I-IV clinical trials over the next two years 2011-2013. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $10 billion over the next 10 years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines and treatments for the world’s poorest countries, with a portion of that commitment directed to the PDPs. The PDPs also receive funding from government agencies, private entities and other sources.

Quintiles will partner with the consortium members by providing one-step access to Quintiles’ global clinical development infrastructure and standards, particularly in the area of infectious diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.

“Quintiles is extremely pleased to have been chosen by the consortium members,” said Dr. Kelly McKee, M.D., Quintiles Vice President and Managing Director, Public Health and Government Services. “The work they’re doing has the potential to reshape global health within a generation. The public health issues on which they are focused has the potential to save millions of lives. We are very excited to be named a preferred provider to the consortium and look forward to helping advance this critical mission.”

Source: Business Wire

Malaria Mosquitoes Reveal Pathogen Defense Strategies

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In analyzing malaria mosquitoes in sub-Saharan Africa, a Cornell-led team of researchers finds evidence of two very different evolutionary paths in the immune systems of neighboring mosquito groups.

Genes in animal immune systems may evolve in one of two main ways in the constant fight against pathogens: They may evolve diverse forms of genes (alleles) to fight a wide variety of pathogens, or when only a few pathogens dominate, they may evolve one or a few alleles that specialize against common infections. The Cornell researchers have found evidence of both these adaptive strategies occurring in the same immune-defense genes in different subpopulations of the human malaria vector mosquito, Anopheles gambiae.

via PhysOrg.com.