French researchers from Inserm and the Université de Paris have developed a vaccine to protect pregnant women and unborn children from malaria. Initial clinical trial results indicate that it can provide effective protection that can last for several months.
Particularly dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn children, malaria is associated with risks of low birth weight and neonatal mortality, especially in sub-Saharan African countries. In order to better protect populations at risk, a team of researchers from Inserm and the Université de Paris is currently developing a vaccine in collaboration with the National Blood Transfusion Institute in Paris.
"We were able to show that the vaccine is well tolerated, at all the tested doses. The side effects observed were mainly pain at the injection site. We also revealed that the quantity of antibodies generated by the vaccine increases after each vaccination and that they persist for several months.