mRNA vaccine due for first clinical trial

Mahidol University program makes development

The first clinical trial of an mRNA vaccine against dengue is getting closer to being launched by Mahidol University.

The vaccination applicant has already been tested on animals in a previous laboratory study, according to Prof Jetsumon Prachumsri, a scientist with the University of Tropical Medicine at Mahidol and head of the Mahidol Vivax Research Unit.

She claimed that experts have created a new kind of vaccine that uses messenger RNA molecules, compared to the majority of vaccines that contain dead or weakened germs or infections. During the Covid- 19 pandemic, some mRNA vaccines were extremely helpful in saving some lives.

The Mahidol study group will conduct a number of tests on Thai participants to determine how well it works before expanding the testing to include those from different nations, according to her. This will help to make sure that people in other countries are also given the vaccination.

Malaria is a life-threatening illness that can be spread to people through some mosquito species, which are most prevalent in humid regions. Each season, there are more than 6 million new malaria cases globally.

Globally in 2022, there were nearly 249 million malaria cases and 608, 000 malaria deaths in 85 places, the World Health Organization says.

We anticipate that our work will spur even more research to be conducted on this mRNA vaccine, besides testing it on individuals.

This will help support the development of new malaria vaccines and analysis, according to Prof Jetsumon, who has conducted research in the last ten years to aid in the development of new medicines and vaccines for the disease.

Prior to this task, researchers collaborated with the Mahidol Vivax Research Unit and the Mahidol- Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit to study how a good man is infected by a mosquito bite. Plasmodium vivax is a protozoal parasite and a mortal pathogen.

According to Prof Jetsumon, Mahidol’s mRNA vaccine candidate will also be tested on the individuals who participated in the previous Mahild-Oxford research task.

Plasmodium falciparum, or P falciparum, is a parasite that causes disease.

Although less severe than Plasmodium vivax, the deadliest of the five disease worms, P vivax infection can also lead to death, she said.