ABU Scientist Discovers New Malaria Vaccine

Prof. Nasiru Shua’ibu of Biochemical Parasitology Department, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria has developed a new malaria vaccine. Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Zaria, Kaduna State on Tuesday, Shu’aibu said the new malaria vaccine was different from others currently in use. Shu’aibu, who is currently working with the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Japan, said the result of the research on the new vaccine would soon be out for Nigerians to use. “In a simple term that a layman can understand, the content of this malaria vaccine research is difficult, but let me try if I could simplify it, it is called DNA Vaccine. “It is a new technology for discovery and delivery of vaccine against any infectious disease that was developed in mid 1990s. “The DNA of the malaria parasite was extracted and the portion of the DNA that is tested to be a good vaccine candidate is subjected to molecular biology methods which are used to produce a lot of the DNA,” Shu’aibu said. According to him, the amount of DNA from the malaria parasite was very minute in quantity and to expand the quantity, Polymerase Chain Reaction was used.