MALARIA VACCINE AND METHODS THEREOF BASED UPON NOVEL ANTIGENIC DOMAIN OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM

摘要

The present invention relates to a malaria vaccine comprising a viral vector system which expresses a protein corresponding to p115MSP-1 of the major merozoite surface antigen 1 (MSP-1) of Plasmodium falciparum or an immunogenic fragment, thereof. In preferred embodiments, the MSP-1 peptide is a 115 aminoacid peptide corresponding to nucleotides 3421-3766 (West African Wellcome strain) and amino acids 1002-116 of MSP-1. In certain aspects of the present invention, the expressed peptide may be combined with a signal peptide and/or an anchor peptide. Chimeric peptides having both signal and anchor sequences in combination with p115MSP-1 may be used. Alternative embodiments relate to methods of vaccinating patients utilizing p115MSP-1 peptides alone, or in combination with other immunogenic peptides from Plasmodium falciparum.