The Elusive Malaria Vaccine

Chronicling a 100-year quest, this book tells the fascinating story of the hunt for the still-elusive malaria vaccine. Its clear, engaging style makes the book accessible to a general audience and brings to life all the drama of the hunt, celebrating the triumphs and documenting the failures. The author captures the controversies, missteps, wars of words, stolen ideas, and clashes of ego as researchers around the world compete to develop the first successful malaria vaccine.The Elusive Malaria Vaccine: Miracle or Mirage? is based on author Irwin W. Sherman's thorough investigation of the scientific literature as well as his first-hand interviews with today's pioneers in malaria vaccine research. As a result, the book offers remarkable insights into the keys to a successful malaria vaccine and the obstacles hindering its development.Malaria is one of humankind's greatest killers, currently afflicting some 300 to 500 million people. Moreover, malaria infections have begun to spread and surge in places previously free from the disease. With the book's easy-to-follow coverage of such topics as immunity, immunology, recombinant DNA, and monoclonal antibodies, readers gain a new understanding of the disease itself, the importance of microbe hunters, and the need for responsible leadership to face the challenges that lie ahead in the battle against malaria.Key Features Chronicles the successes and failures in the 100-year-old hunt for a malaria vaccine Offers easy-to-follow explanations that are understandable to a general audience Provides a unique, single-authored, comprehensive and critical review of malaria vaccines Incorporates the latest scientific literature as well as viewpoints and perspectives from leaders in malaria vaccine research Explains the microbiology underlying the discovery of malaria parasites Helps readers understand why a successful malaria vaccine still does not exist Serves as essential reading for anyone interested in infectious disease, public health, and public policy regarding malaria prevention and control

Irwin W Sherman, Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Riverside, graduated with honors in biology from the City College of New York (1950), worked in a U.S. Army medical laboratory in Europe, and upon his discharge, graduated from Northwestern University with an M.S. (1959) and a PhD. (1960) biology. After working as an NTH postdoctoral fellow the laboratory of William Trager at the Rockefeller University, Professor Sherman took a position at the University of California, where he remained for four decades. He has published more than 150 scholarly papers, has written five books (The Invertebrates: Function and Form; Biology: a Human Approach) The Power of Plagues; Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World; and Advances in Parasitology, vol 67, Reflections on a Century of Malaria Biochemistry), and has edited two volumes (Plasmodium: Parasite Biology, Pathogenesis, and Protection and Molecular Approaches to Malaria). Currently he is Visiting Scientist, Cell Biology, at the Scripps Research Institute.