Five new malaria targets that could lead to an effective vaccine.

Five new malaria targets that could lead to an effective vaccine.Scientists have identified five targets that reduce the parasite's ability to invade red blood cells.In the largest study of its kind, five new malaria vaccine targets have been discovered. Researchers studied the malaria parasite at its most vulnerable stage -- when invading human red blood cells -- and identified five targets that lead to a reduction in the parasite's ability to enter red blood cells. Nearly half of the world's population is at risk of malaria and more than 200 million people are infected each year. The disease caused the deaths of almost half a million people globally in 2015*. Despite the large number of deaths, there is no highly effective vaccine currently available for malaria. Over the last 50 years, most attempts to develop vaccines have only focussed on single targets. In the new study, scientists have discovered five targets for future malaria vaccine development, which they suggest should be targeted in combination. An effective vaccine is urgently needed due to an expanding problem of drug resistance in the parasite.