Better HIV, lupus and hep C treatments possible with malaria discovery

In laboratory models, a research team has showed that strong inflammatory signals caused by malaria infection activate molecules that trigger the production of highly potent antibodies to fight the disease. The same inflammatory signals are seen in human malaria infections, chronic viral infections and autoimmune disorders. This suggests the discovery could be harnessed to develop new vaccines and therapies that are better able to fight infections such as hepatitis C and HIV as well as treat diseases such as lupus. The research was led by PhD student Ms Ann Ly and Dr Diana Hansen from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Australia, with collaborators Dr Yiang Liao and Associate Professor Wei Shi and Professor Axel Kallies from the Doherty Institute. “When we began this study, we expected to see that inflammation was also having a negative effect on B cells. In fact, we found the opposite was true. The inflammatory signals were improving the quality of the antibodies produced, by sending B cells to an elite training ground, where they underwent an exhaustive program to become ‘professional predators’.”