Malaria Vaccine + Sugar’s Effect on Brain Development in Children – Xtalks Life Science Podcast Ep. 8

Stories about the development of COVID-19 vaccines have dominated the news for months, but a huge breakthrough in the prevention of another infectious disease has just been announced. Listen to this episode to learn about a new malaria vaccine developed by researchers at the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford that is 77 percent effective at blocking the parasite.

In this episode, Ayesha also shares the results of a study that gives parents another reason to limit their kids’ sugar intake. Research involving rats has identified a mechanistic link between high sugar consumption and impaired learning and memory later in life that involves a specific genus of gut bacteria. The team discusses the challenges of regulating added sugar in processed foods, and the applicability of animal models in understanding human development.