2023-07-05 09:00:11
New Study Shows Experimental Drug Offers Complete Protection Against Malaria
A new study from researchers at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and the Center for Human Drug Research (CHDR) has found that an experimental drug called cabamiquine offers complete protection against malaria. Malaria parasites have been developing resistance to current drugs, making it crucial to develop new medicines quickly.
Plasmodium falciparum, the most common and dangerous form of malaria, was the focus of the study. The researchers collaborated with German scientific and technological company Merck to investigate the effectiveness of cabamiquine in preventing malaria.
The study involved 39 healthy volunteers who were infected with malaria parasites and received cabamiquine either two hours or four days after infection. The controlled environment of the Controlled Human Infection Center, part of LUMC, allowed for safe and monitored testing. Meta Roestenberg, professor of Human Models for Vaccine Development, led the research.
The Center for Human Drug Research, under the leadership of Associate Director Infectious Diseases Dr. Ingrid de Visser-Kamerling, conducted additional research on the experimental drug. They compared the concentrations of cabamiquine in the blood with its effectiveness against the malaria infection and found that it had a more powerful effect than initially anticipated.
Dr. Johan van der Plas of the Center for Human Drug Research stated that the study demonstrated that a single dose of cabamiquine can still be effective against malaria up to four days after infection. This highlights the potential of the “human infection model” in developing and testing new drugs against malaria.
The results of the study were published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases. The findings offer hope in the fight against malaria, especially as the malaria parasites continue to develop resistance to current drugs.
Source: LUMC]
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