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December 09, 2002
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Australian-Led Scientists Find Protein Mutation Slows Malaria" Agence France Presse (www.afp.com/english/home) (12/09/02)
Researchers report that they have uncovered a protein mutation in the blood cells of some Pacific islanders that protects them from deadly malaria virus--a finding they hope will aid in the development of a vaccine. For the study, scientists found that 45 percent of Melanesians who lived in infected areas were born with a trait that blocked a pathway commonly used by the malaria parasite. The study was led by the Melbourne team of Alan Cowman and Alex Maier of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.
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