Pulido Valente Science Prize for research into immunity against malaria

In December 2014, while a PhD student at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (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 gut to stimulate the immune system against the malaria parasite by producing antibodies against a sugar on the surface of these bacteria. In addition to the article published in the journal Cellhis 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 that causes the immune system to produce high levels of these antibodies. Tests carried out on mice have shown that this could be a way of developing an effective vaccine to combat the spread of malaria and thus save many lives.

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

O Pulido Valente Science Prize 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, the prize is worth 10,000 euros.

Bahtiyar Yilmaz is a former student in the doctoral program at the Instituto Gulbenkian da Ciência in the laboratory of Miguel Soares. 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, Peter D. Crompton, Peter D. Cowan. Doumbo, Boubacar Traore, Peter D. Crompton, Henrique Silveira and Miguel P. Soares.

(Image credits: Catarina Júlio, IGC)