New Malaria Vaccine Builds on the Life’s Work of a Feeble Cabbage
Geoff Butcher was inspired by his gap year in Africa, to devote his life to developing a vaccine for malaria, and that goal has now been achieved at last. The devastation that the disease caused, especially in children, moved him to become a research scientist. Despite being written off as a “feeble cabbage” at school, his work made significant contributions to the battle against malaria.
That’s why it’s particularly exciting to see that a new malaria vaccine has just been developed and is now approved by the World Health Organisation.
This is what another malaria research pioneer from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said:
“The wait for an effective malaria vaccine has been a long one and it was only in October 2021 that WHO recommended deployment of the world’s first malaria vaccine RTS,S. Now, two years later, a second malaria vaccine, R21, has also been approved by WHO.” Sir Brian Greenwood, Professor of Clinical Tropical Medicine.
You can read the whole news article here Malaria vaccine receives WHO recommendation
malaria cells attacking blood cells
Schizogony in P. Knowlesi malaria.
One of the achievements which paved the way for the vaccine was this film that Geoff made in 1969 by pointing his camera down the lens of his microscope. It was the first time that malaria cells were actually caught in the act of invading red blood cells, and then it clearly shows how they can be blocked by the presence of antibodies. This is despite predictions that it couldn’t be done. The film has the catchy title Schizogony in P. Knowlesi malaria. It is in the Wellcome Collection, and you can watch it here: Wellcomecollection.org/works/sw476ssr.
There is an explanation of this process (and more) in Geoff’s YouTube film about his book: YouTube book video
Geoff explains how his discoveries came about in his book MEMOIRS OF A FEEBLE CABBAGE in which he looks back over a life well lived.
It’s available in all good bookshops including this one: Waterstones
Published 26 October, 2023 by Katy Loffman