The analytical balance plays an important role in health science laboratories by providing the exact weights of all substances that are part of pharmaceutical preparations, and in this particular case, the malaria vaccine. But, despite malaria being a serious disease, it was not until October 2021 that the World Health Organization (WHO) authorized the first vaccine for the disease. In this regard, malaria is a disease characterized by:
- The disease vector is the female mosquito of the genus Anopheles.
- Unlike other diseases, malaria is caused by a parasite, and among all strains, the most serious clinical condition is Plasmodium falciparum.
The most common way to fight the disease is to kill the mosquito, because the mosquito bites a sick person with the parasite, incubates it, and then bites a healthy person and inoculates the parasite through the saliva. However, mosquitoes are becoming resistant to the most commonly used insecticides, so the arrival of the first vaccines will make a decisive contribution to controlling this disease. And there is no doubt that the analytical balance will be needed in any laboratory protocol for the synthesis of malaria vaccines.
Why has it taken so long to develop the malaria vaccine?
The delay in the development of this vaccine is attributed to the difficulty of developing immunity against a parasite (when compared to a virus or bacterium), and to the fact that this disease is endemic in third world countries, which restricts the investments made by pharmaceutical companies in the development of this type of treatment. In fact, the vaccine was tested in African countries such as Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. To treat the disease, drugs have been developed such as:
- Dapsone and pyrimethamine
- Sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine
- Chloroquines
- Artemisinins
- Halofrantine
However, the use of these drugs indiscriminately has made strains of the Plasmodium parasite resistant, and given the complexity of this microorganism, it is difficult to study what is the mechanism that operates in this resistance. This makes vaccines, along with the elimination of these insects, become the main prophylactic elements to control the spread of this disease and the associated mortality.
The prevalence of malaria in the world
Malaria is a disease that has seen an uptick in countries where it has been controlled, and poses a health risk to millions of people worldwide. The seriousness of this situation is that it is the poorest populations who are most at risk and who cannot afford treatments for the disease. This is in addition to the emergence of more resistant mosquitoes and strains of the parasite, coupled with limited investment in research. This is why vaccination may be the best strategy for disease prophylaxis in these countries.
Why do you need an analytical scale in vaccine manufacturing?
Vaccines generally contain an active ingredient that generates an immune response in the body, which allows it to cope with possible future infections, such as malaria. Making the malaria vaccine was complicated because of the different stages the parasite goes through to get to the way it causes disease in people. However, in addition to the active ingredient, each vaccine contains:
- Preservative, to prevent contamination of the vaccine with micro-organisms.
- Stabilizer, prolongs the effectiveness of the vaccine for a defined time
- Isoosmotic solution
- Interveners
Each of these ingredients must be incorporated in exact amounts in the doses of the vaccines, the analytical balance being the one that provides the necessary accuracy for weighing these substances in the formulation of the drug. In addition, having a scale in the laboratory contributes to the implementation of any quality protocol of the vaccine, once manufactured.
Why select the Kalstein brand analytical balance?
Kalstein analytical scales are robust instruments that provide accurate and accurate measurements in weighing procedures, in the development and manufacture of vaccines. The manufacturer has available models YR053501 // YR053502. With this equipment, quantities of less than 1 mg can be weighed with acceptable accuracy; they have a high-volume cover that prevents interference from air currents in the weighing, and can delay and display the results in different units.
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