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Malaria research


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Ongoing studies Infectious diseases: malaria and vaccine research

About

Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world and has a particularly severe impact on people in low-income countries. We have been performing research for more than fifteen years to contribute toward the development of an effective vaccine.

Human testing is necessary, because the current animal testing models are not precise enough for human malaria. During controlled human malaria infections, we infect healthy paraticipants with malaria. Doctors and researchers are able to acquire information about the illness, which they can use to develop better treatment methods. In this way, the effectiveness of a new malaria vaccine can also be tested. 

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About

Questions and/or registration

Do you want to contribute to research on malaria and other infectious diseases? You can get updates on ongoing and planned studies and become a study participant. Fill out the form below and we contact you about news and open studies. You can leave and rejoin the mailing list at any time.  

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Malaria research

An effective vaccine is imperative in the fight against malaria. We have been performing research for more than 15 years to contribute toward the development of such a vaccine.

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Vaccine development

Developing new and better vaccines is important for infectious diseases. Prevention is better than cure, especially in developing countries where access to healthcare cannot always be guaranteed.

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Vaccine development

Developing new and better vaccines is very important in the field of infectious diseases. Prevention is better than cure, especially in developing countries where access to healthcare cannot always be guaranteed. 

Vaccine research on healthy volunteers

At Radboudumc, we help develop new vaccines. We, the experimental parasitology group and the human challenge studies research program, do this either by testing the safety and side effects of a vaccine in phase I research or by conducting controlled human infection studies. In these studies, healthy, well-informed volunteers are exposed to a pathogen in a controlled and safe manner. The major advantage of controlled human infection studies is that they make it possible to gather valuable information about the effectiveness of a vaccine or drug in a relatively short period of time. Instead of having to wait for people to become infected naturally, a controlled setting allows us to immediately determine whether a vaccine offers protection. This significantly speeds up the vaccine development process. In addition, these types of studies provide valuable insights into the early stages of infection and the body's immune response. This knowledge is essential for further improving vaccines and developing them in a more targeted manner. Our explicit goal is to make vaccines that have successfully completed phase I and to make them available to people at risk of disease. We do this together with our international partners.

Which diseases are suitable 

Human infection studies are not possible with all pathogens, because some cannot be “controlled”. This applies, for example, to dangerous, emerging infectious diseases such as Nipah, Ebola, and Marburg. By testing vaccine-induced immune cells and antibodies in the lab and with in silico models, we try to predict vaccine effectiveness as accurately as possible. When outbreaks of these viruses occur, it is important to have vaccines available as quickly as possible and to know as soon as possible whether they work. We want to contribute to this with new vaccines and methodological knowledge. In addition, we are among the international leaders in the development of transmission-blocking vaccines, which are vaccines that prevent the spread of a pathogen and play a major role in the eradication of diseases such as malaria.

For whom?

You can only participate in controlled human malaria infection studies if you are in good health. You will get a medical examination before you can enter the study.

Which infectious diseases do we research?

Besides malaria, we expanded our research portfolio with more infectious diseases.

  • Malaria remains one of the most widespread infectious diseases globally, with the highest burden in low-income countries.

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    Malaria

    Malaria remains one of the most widespread infectious diseases globally, with the highest burden in low-income countries. Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected, and young children under the age of five and pregnant women are particularly at risk. In this group, malaria continues to be a leading cause of illness and death.

    Malaria parasites are transmitted by mosquitoes. Control of mosquitoes, prevention of infection and early treatment are the main approaches to reduce the burden of malaria. Although diagnostics, treatments and vaccines are available, malaria remains a huge health problem. The malaria parasite develops resistance to existing drugs and current vaccines have a limited impact on its burden of disease. Ongoing research is therefore crucial to improve prevention strategies, develop more effective medicines and use the power of combining interventions.

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    Nipah virus

    Nipah virus (NiV) is naturally found in fruit bats and causes an infectious disease that can lead to severe illness and death in humans. Outbreaks have mainly occurred in South and Southeast Asia and are associated with very high mortality rates. Hendra virus, a close relative of Nipah virus, is present in Australia and resulted in causalities in humans and horses. There is evidence that viruses of the same family circulate in African fruit bats. Fortunately, no human infection has been described so far.    

    Currently, there are no approved treatments or vaccines for Nipah virus. The only care available for patients is supportive care, aimed at relieving symptoms and keeping organs’ functioning. 

    Due to the high fatality rate and risk of further outbreaks, the World Health Organization has identified Nipah virus as a priority for urgent research. There is an immediate need for accelerated development of effective treatments, vaccines, and preventive measures.

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    Filoviruses

    Ebola and Marburg viruses are both members of the Filoviridae family. These viruses typically spread through contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals and can lead to viral hemorrhagic fever. Mortality rates can be very high and large outbreaks occurred in the past. Vaccines are particularly important in controlling the disease and improving clinical care as relatives of infected people and medical personnel are at high risk of infection.

    While there are first-generation vaccines and treatments for certain types of the Ebola virus, there are no vaccines or treatments for Marburg virus infections available. Besides Ebola and Marburg virus there are other filoviruses. Some of them have led to sporadic human infections.

    The World Health Organization has listed filoviruses as a priority for urgent research. More studies are needed to improve prevention, develop better treatments, and protect people from future outbreaks. 

Human malaria infection research how does it work

You want to participate in our malaria infection research. What can you expect?

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Human malaria infection research how does it work


International clinical activities after Nijmegen

After testing in healthy participants, it is important to test the effectiveness of the vaccine in people who have already been exposed to malaria on multiple occasions. We do this together with our international partners, alongside other epidemiological research, in endemic countries.

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Team

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