A breakthrough on malaria, to be published in two leading international journals this morning, has been hailed as an "extraordinary moment in the history of science," writes Dick Ahlstrom, Science Editor
Potentially, it could lead to "countless" lives being saved, according to Dr Carlos Morel, director of a special programme for research and training in tropical diseases co-funded by the UN Development Programme, the World Bank and the WHO.
"With the knowledge gained from this molecular dissection of the malaria parasite and its major insect vector, we have moved far ahead on the path toward new approaches, new therapies, that have the potential to save countless lives," he stated yesterday.
The UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, warmly welcomed the international release of the entire genetic blueprints of the organism that causes malaria and the mosquito that carries it. The two genomes are being published in the research journals, Nature and Science. Together they provide an unprecedented level of genetic information about the malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium falciparum and the mosquito that carries it, Anaopheles gambiae.
Malaria remains a major world health issue, killing 2.7 million people every year. It takes the life of a child every 20 seconds and 500 million new cases occur every year.
This places an overwhelming health care burden on many African and third world countries, Mr Annan said.
"If this technology and its potential clinical advances can be distributed fairly among the world's population it could offer new opportunities for improving global health and for helping developing countries break free of the shackles of this devastating disease," Mr Annan said yesterday. "Malaria not only imposes an appalling degree of human suffering, it also constitutes an obstacle to development itself."
One of Ireland's leading malaria researchers, Prof John Dalton of Dublin City University, said: "Malaria has been endemic in Africa for centuries. Its impact is so great that it has affected evolution."
The two genomes map out the genes involved in the life cycles of the mosquito and the parasite. This information gives researchers vital information that can be used to obstruct or destroy the parasite's ability to cause new infections.