Evaluation of the IgG antibody response against different allelic forms of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein in sera from individuals from malaria endemic areas

• Grant number: 23/15071-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites
• Principal Investigator: Irene da Silva Soares
• Grantee: Elizabeth Ji Young Kim
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/13032-5 - Generation and analysis of the immunogenicity of recombinant proteins based on the different allelic forms of the circumsporozoite antigen of Plasmodium vivax aiming at the development of a universal vaccine against malaria, AP.TEM

Abstract

Malaria is an acute febrile infectious disease associated with high morbidity, especially in countries located in the tropical zone of the planet. According to the Pan American Organization, the African region, especially, concentrates around 90% of all malaria cases and deaths worldwide and fifteen countries, of which 14 are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, carry 80% of the global burden of malaria. In Brazil, the majority of cases of the disease are concentrated in the Amazon region, which accounts for 99% of cases registered in the country. The Plasmodium parasite has a complex biological cycle and is becoming increasingly resistant to medications, making it necessary to develop a safe and effective vaccine, as it is a relevant strategy for preventing and controlling malaria. Therefore, vaccine formulations containing more than one antigen from different stages of P. vivax have been explored, and previous studies by our group have described the importance of proteins such as MSP119 and CSP as immunodominant antigens. Thus, the present work proposes to express and purify recombinant proteins corresponding to allelic variants of the P. vivax circumsporozoite protein (VK210, VK247 and P. vivax-like) in Escherichia coli bacteria to evaluate the prevalence and magnitude of IgG antibodies against the different variants of PvCSP in human serology.