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New medicines for malaria

Neue Arzneimittel zur Behandlung der Malaria

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Zusammenfassung

Die Entwicklung neuer Medikamente zur Behandlung der Malaria ist ein wichtiges und herausforderndes Forschungsgebiet, da Malaria zu den wichtigsten Infektionserkrankungen gehört und der Erreger, Plasmodium falciparum, eine große Anpassungsfähigkeit besitzt. So haben die meisten Medikamente, die bei einer großen Anzahl von Erkrankten eingesetzt wurden, zumindest teilweise ihre Wirksamkeit verloren. Dies gilt insbesondere für Chloroquin und Sulfadoxin-Pyrimethamin aber auch Artemisinine sind bereits betroffen. Neben der Chemotherapie sind mehrere Impfstoffe gegen Malaria zurzeit in der klinischen Prüfung. Ein effektiver Impfstoff wäre eine wichtige Erweiterung der Möglichkeiten, die zur Kontrolle und möglicherweise Elimination der Malaria beitragen könnten. Ein Vakzinekandidat zeigte eine signifikante Wirksamkeit [1], andere hingegen konnten die in sie gesteckten Erwartungen nicht erfüllen [2 – 4]. In dieser Übersicht werde ich die Grundlagen und Prinzipien unserer Forschungsprojekte darstellen und an einzelnen Beispielen erläutern.

Summary

Development of new medicines for malaria is a challenging and important topic of applied research because malarial parasites rapidly adapt to man-made interventions. Best studied examples are widely used drugs such as chloroquine, sulfadoxin-pyrimethamine (SP), and, recently, artemisinins; all of them can lose efficacy after large-scale introduction. In addition to drugs, malaria vaccines re-emerged on the agenda of funding bodies and research institutions after a period of quietness and desperation. This time the communities' aims are high: a registered and effective malaria-vaccine. So far, only one candidate shows modest efficacy [1], a quantum leap in malaria vaccine research, whereas others have not met the high expectations [2–4]. In this overview, I will summarize basic thoughts and principles behind our work and illustrate them with examples of current projects of my group.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Benjamin Mordmüller

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  1. Benjamin Mordmüller
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Correspondence to Benjamin Mordmüller.

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Mordmüller, B. New medicines for malaria. Wien Klin Wochenschr 122 (Suppl 1), 19–22 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-010-1330-4

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