Vers un contrôle du paludisme à Plasmodium falciparum grâce au vaccin RTS,S/AS01 ?

Details

Supervisors

Speybroeck, Niko

Faculty

Faculté de pharmacie et des sciences biomédicales

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences pharmaceutiques, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enMalaria is caused by a parasite of the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is one of the leading cause of childhood illness and death in children under five in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite strategies to reduce its incidence, the morbidity and mortality rates associated with malaria are still impressive. A new malaria vaccine developed by GSK, RTS,S/AS01 (MosquirixTM), has successfully completed all phases of clinical trials and is now recommended by WHO for a large scale vaccination of children aged 6 weeks to 17 months to prevent Plasmodium falciparum malaria in areas with moderate to high transmission. This long-awaited vaccine has raised a lot of hope despite its moderate efficacy because it considerably reduces the progression to severe forms of the disease. After thirty years of development, the vaccine has proved its worth in terms of public health and is now an integral part of the malaria control strategy. In this master thesis, the first part will consist in developing the physiopathology of malaria as well as the different current means to fight against the disease. Then, the second part will be devoted to the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine and the difficulties linked to its development and implementation. Finally, arguments will be cited confirming whether or not the vaccine will be sufficient to control malaria in the long term.