malERA: An updated research agenda for basic science and enabling technologies in malaria elimination and eradication

Basic science holds enormous power for revealing the biological mechanisms of disease and, in turn, paving the way toward new, effective interventions. Recognizing this power, the 2011 Research Agenda for Malaria Eradication included key priorities in fundamental research that, if attained, could help accelerate progress toward disease elimination and eradication. The Malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA) Consultative Panel on Basic Science and Enabling Technologies reviewed the progress, continuing challenges, and major opportunities for future research. The recommendations come from a literature of published and unpublished materials and the deliberations of the malERA Refresh Consultative Panel. These areas span multiple aspects of the Plasmodium life cycle in both the human host and the Anopheles vector and include critical, unanswered questions about parasite transmission, human infection in the liver, asexual-stage biology, and malaria persistence. We believe an integrated approach encompassing human immunology, parasitology, and entomology, and harnessing new and emerging biomedical technologies offers the best path toward addressing these questions and, ultimately, lowering the worldwide burden of malaria

Neutral lipids characterization of non water soluble fraction of Carica papaya Latex

Correspondance: [email protected] audienceThe non-water-soluble fraction of Carica papaya latex (CPL) constitutes a waste material from papain production; very little information exists regarding its chemical composition. The non-water-soluble fraction of CPL was fractionated by liquid chromatography into neutral lipids, glycolipids and phospholipids. The most abundant compounds were found to be the polar lipids, accounting for 79.2% (w/w) of the total extractible matter, while the total amount of neutral lipids was only around 20%. It was composed of free fatty acids, sterols and triterpenic alcohols, but no glycerides were detected. A high content of saturated fatty acids was measured; these saturated fatty acids were represented by very long chains with C24:0, C26:0 and C28:0 accounting for 6.3, 11.0 and 6.3%, respectively, in the total extractible matter and 7.3, 9.0 and 3.9% in the FFA fraction. The monounsaturated fatty acids were about 23-25% in both samples, with oleic acid (C18:1) being the most abundant. The polyunsaturated fatty acids that were 25.1% in the total matter and 21.6% in the FFA fraction were mainly represented by linoleic acid (C18:2n-6). Finally, a very interesting characteristic of the FA composition of this latex concerns the presence of odd-numbered fatty acids in significant amounts (around 22% in the total extract and 24.3% in the FFA fraction

Effective chikungunya virus-like particle vaccine produced in insect cells

The emerging arthritogenic, mosquito-borne chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes severe disease in humans and represents a serious public health threat in countries where Aedes spp mosquitoes are present. This study describes for the first time the successful production of CHIKV virus-like particles (VLPs) in insect cells using recombinant baculoviruses. This well-established expression system is rapidly scalable to volumes required for epidemic responses and proved well suited for processing of CHIKV glycoproteins and production of enveloped VLPs. Herein we show that a single immunization with 1 µg of non-adjuvanted CHIKV VLPs induced high titer neutralizing antibody responses and provided complete protection against viraemia and joint inflammation upon challenge with the Réunion Island CHIKV strain in an adult wild-type mouse model of CHIKV disease. CHIKV VLPs produced in insect cells using recombinant baculoviruses thus represents as a new, safe, non-replicating and effective vaccine candidate against CHIKV infections