Pulido Valente Science Award for research into immunity against malaria

In December 2014, while a PhD student at the Gulbenkian Institute of Science (IGC), Bahtiyar Yilmaz published in the prestigious scientific journal Cell the article "Gut microbiotic elicits a protective immune response against malaria transmission," in which he describes the ability of a type of bacteria that reside in the intestine to stimulate the immune system against the malaria parasite by producing antibodies against a sugar found on the surface of these bacteria. In addition to the article published in the journal Cell, his work was recently recognized with the 2015 Pfizer Prize in Basic Research.

The protective mechanism now discovered by Bahtiyar Yilmaz could be induced through a vaccine, which would cause the immune system to produce high levels of these antibodies. Tests carried out on mice have shown that this could be a way to develop an effective vaccine to combat the spread of malaria and thus save many lives.

The team, led by Miguel Soares, observed low levels of these antibodies in children under five years of age, which increase in adulthood. For scientists, this may be the reason why children living in regions where the disease is endemic are more prone to infection.

The Pulido Valente Science Award distinguishes the work of a young researcher, under the age of 35, in the field of Biomedical Sciences. Awarded by the FCT and the Pulido Valente Foundation, this prize is worth €10,000.

Bahtiyar Yilmaz is a former student of the Gulbenkian Institute of Science doctoral program in Miguel Soares' laboratory. The co-authors of the award-winning study were: Sílvia Portugal, Tuan M. Tran, Raffaella Gozzelino, Susana Ramos, Joana Gomes, Ana Regalado, Peter J. Cowan, Anthony J. F. d'Apice, Anita S. Chong, Ogobara K. Doumbo, Boubacar Traore, Peter D. Crompton, Henrique Silveira, and Miguel P. Soares.

(Image credits: Catarina Júlio, IGC)