New studies has indicated that it is possible to develop a vaccine to combat the deadly malaria plaguing most African countries, reported the Daily Monitor on Tuesday.

The landmark studies by Karolinska Institute (KI) in Sweden and Makerere University in Uganda unveiled important findings on how the malaria parasite conceals itself in the placenta.

According to the studies, the finding of malarial parasite which hides in the placenta of pregnant women explains why those women and their babies are main victims of the disease.

"For some reason, women in their first pregnancy lose semi- immunity that is normally found in adults," said Niloofar Rasti, KI graduate student who has been working for the research. "The placenta seems to offer an anatomically favorable environment for the parasites."

Experts believe the findings, published by the American scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, can enable the development of an elusive vaccine and therapies to combat the disease.

During one particular phase of its lifecycle, the parasite enters human red blood cells and produces proteins that attach themselves to receptors in the wall of blood vessels. This causes the blood cells to accumulate in organ capillaries, giving rise to life-threatening symptoms.

Adults who have been infected several times can become partly immune as their defense systems gradually start to recognize the parasite's proteins. When the placenta is formed, however, a new environment is introduced with a different set of receptors. This means that a new growth niche is made available to a subpopulation of the parasites.

"Most of the parasites we studied could bind to three different receptors in the placenta," Rasti said, adding that "This would mean that a future vaccine cannot be based on the principle of one protein-one receptor, as previously believed."

Source: Xinhua