Hot Topic: Malaria Vaccine
Nirbhay Kumar, chair of the Department of Tropical Medicine at Tulane and an international expert on malaria, contributed his expertise to a special section of the May 14 edition of Science magazine that focused on tuberculosis and malaria.
The new chair of tropical medicine, Nirbhay Kumar is a molecular parasitologist and immunologist who has worked for 28 years on malaria vaccine research. (Photo by Rick Olivier)
Kumar, a molecular parasitologist and immunologist, was interviewed regarding his group's research work on developing a human malaria transmission-blocking vaccine, an effort he has been involved in for 28 years.
The article explores the history of developing these vaccines, which would prevent mosquitoes from spreading malaria.
Research has expanded in the past several years, thanks to interest and funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates' Foundation's global effort to eradicate malaria.
Kumar said, "A transmission-blocking vaccine will sweep out malaria from endemic regions and also limit the spread of drug-resistant parasites, as well as prevent reintroduction of malaria after successful elimination."
In January, Kumar became the new chair of tropical medicine, part of the Tulane University School of Public health and Tropical Medicine.
He formerly was a professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
