Register

Login

Vet Times logo
+
  • View all news
  • Vets news
  • Vet Nursing news
  • Business news
  • + More
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Crossword
  • View all clinical
  • Small animal
  • Livestock
  • Equine
  • Exotics
  • All Jobs
  • Your ideal job
  • Post a job
  • Career Advice
  • Students
About
Contact Us
For Advertisers
NewsClinicalJobs
Vet Times logo

Vets

All Vets newsSmall animalLivestockEquineExoticWork and well-beingOpinion

Vet Nursing

All Vet Nursing newsSmall animalLivestockEquineExoticWork and well-beingOpinion

Business

All Business newsHuman resourcesBig 6SustainabilityFinanceDigitalPractice profilesPractice developments

+ More

VideosPodcastsDigital EditionCrossword

The latest veterinary news, delivered straight to your inbox.

Choose which topics you want to hear about and how often.

Vet Times logo 2

About

The team

Advertise with us

Recruitment

Contact us

Vet Times logo 2

Vets

All Vets news

Small animal

Livestock

Equine

Exotic

Work and well-being

Opinion

Vet Nursing

All Vet Nursing news

Small animal

Livestock

Equine

Exotic

Work and well-being

Opinion

Business

All Business news

Human resources

Big 6

Sustainability

Finance

Digital

Practice profiles

Practice developments

Clinical

All Clinical content

Small animal

Livestock

Equine

Exotics

Jobs

All Jobs content

All Jobs

Your ideal job

Post a job

Career Advice

Students

More

All More content

Videos

Podcasts

Digital Edition

Crossword


Terms and conditions

Complaints policy

Cookie policy

Privacy policy

fb-iconinsta-iconlinkedin-icontwitter-iconyoutube-icon

© Veterinary Business Development Ltd 2025

IPSO_regulated

21 Dec 2023

RVC researchers see ‘exciting’ advance towards malaria vaccine

A newly published study argues new insights into how the infection progresses can help the development of medicine specifically targeting the process.

author_img

Allister Webb

Job Title



RVC researchers see ‘exciting’ advance towards malaria vaccine

Image: © Christoph Burgstedt / Adobe Stock

Scientists have claimed a newly published study involving RVC researchers means they are now better placed to develop effective vaccines against malaria.

The college has worked with academics at the University of Oxford on a paper, published in the Nature journal, examining the role of the Plasmodium parasite in the progression of infection.

The paper describes how the malaria parasite secretes a special protein known as a PfRCR, which effectively acts as a bridge enabling the parasite to enter more red blood cells.

‘Exciting opportunity’

Although the researchers acknowledge further work is needed to protect people, particularly children, from the disease, they say understanding the process offers an “exciting opportunity” for further advances.

RVC vaccinology lecturer Ellen Knuepfer said: “Our results demonstrate that the essential multi-protein PfRCR complex does not function to create a molecular pore in the red blood cell membrane, but rather as a molecular bridge, connecting the parasite to the red blood cell membrane during invasion.

“Excitingly, new structural insights will help us to rationally design therapeutics that target specific domains of this protein complex and hinder its function.”

Malaria is estimated to cause around 600,000 deaths a year worldwide, disproportionately affecting children in Africa.

Models

The study, in which the college worked with researchers at Oxford’s Higgins Laboratory, used “structure-guided” models to examine how the protein develops and works.

Matthew Higgins, who headed the Higgins team, said: “We are delighted to be able to see, for the first time, this piece of molecular machinery which is essential for the malaria parasite to get inside our red blood cells.

“It was a pleasure to work with the RVC to test what the PfRCR does and to rule out some possible hypotheses for its essential role.

“Now that we know how PfRCR forms a bridge between parasite and erythrocyte, this will help us to design better vaccines against malaria.”

The publication of the study follows the announcement earlier this year of a new partnership between the college and Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute to work together on infectious disease research.