# New mRNA Vaccine Blocks Malaria Transmission by Targeting Parasite Reproduction
Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, causing over 600,000 deaths annually. Despite progress in treatment and prevention, stopping transmission between mosquitoes and humans has still not been achieved.
But now,for the first time,Australian scientists have captured the detailed structure of a crucial protein complex in malaria parasites – revealing a promising new target for vaccines aimed at stopping the spread of the disease.
Using advanced cryo-electron microscopy, researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall institute (WEHI) visualised a protein complex essential for malaria parasite fertilisation inside mosquitoes. Their study has led to the development of a new mRNA vaccine candidate that blocks the parasite’s reproduction in mosquitoes – possibly breaking the cycle of transmission before it infects humans.
## Visualising malaria’s reproductive machinery
Scientists have long known that two proteins on the malaria parasite surface – Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 – are critical for the parasite’s transmission. Though, exactly how thes proteins interact was not understood.
“Our structural biology approach was the key. Using cryo-electron microscopy, we were able to visualise the full fertilisation complex directly from the parasite – not a lab-made version,” said lead researcher Dr Melanie dietrich, a WEHI postdoctoral fellow. “This gave us a clear picture of how this fertilisation complex really looks in nature and revealed a previously unknown region that’s crucial to the process,unlocking a powerful new vaccine target.”
The scientists used these findings to create a vaccine that showed promise in targeting these contact points.
## From structural insight to vaccine innovation
Unlike many studies that rely on artificially produced proteins, this research purified
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