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U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
(202) 712-43202001-072
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2001Contact: USAID Press Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a $3.7 million, three-year grant to support the research and development of a novel, broadly protective malaria vaccine by Maxygen, Inc.
Currently, USAID combats malaria in many countries in the developing world through assistance programs providing prevention, early diagnosis and early treatment. "Many experts believe that naturally acquired immunity against malaria targets the antigens that are subject of this project," said Dr. Carter Diggs, senior technical advisor for the USAID Malaria Vaccine Development Program, in commenting on the new agreement. "The problem is that many children die before they can develop this immunity. We hope that this work will lead to vaccines that can protect recipients from the morbidity and mortality associated with the natural history of the disease and enable them to develop additional immunity during exposure.
The creation of an effective vaccine is critical in the fight against the spread of malaria, a disease that kills an average of one child every thirty seconds. Malaria has reached epidemic proportions in many tropical countries and is a major health concern for millions of international business and tourist travelers as well as military personnel. USAID has been committed to malaria vaccine development for some time and is involved in numerous malaria vaccine trials employing diverse technologies and antigens.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria has reached epidemic proportions in many parts of the world and is a public health problem in more than 90 countries inhabited by more than 2.4 billion people, or 40 percent of the world's population. Worldwide prevalence of the disease is estimated to be approximately 300 to 500 million new clinical cases each year, and mortality due to malaria is estimated to be more than one million deaths per year, more than any other communicable disease except tuberculosis. Further, WHO reports that the phenomenon of "airport malaria," or the importing of malaria by international travelers to non-endemic areas is becoming increasingly common.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Maxygen focuses on bringing together advances in molecular biology and protein modification to create biotechnology products.
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