Researchers Discover How Actin Prevents Malaria
May 3, 2023| |
Collaborative research led by the Burnet Institute in Australia has used genome sequencing and genetic engineering to explain how a specially selected compound can prevent malaria from invading red blood cells.
The study results, published in the journal PLOS Biology on World Malaria Day on April 25, 2023, provide new opportunities and targets for the development of much-needed new medications for malaria, which has caused more than 619,000 deaths globally in 2021, according to the World Health Organization. The compound, a specific inhibitor of red blood cell invasion, has been identified in a previous study. The research team now used reverse genetics to discover how the drug attaches to actin, a protein that malaria uses to break into red blood cells, where it grows and reproduces, causing illness.
“We showed that this compound affects parasite actin in such a way that it prevents it from exerting this force, this biomechanical force, thereby stopping the parasites from entering the red blood cell,” said the study lead author, Dr. Madeline Dans, a postdoctoral researcher at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.
For more details, read the news article on the Burnet Institute website.
| |
You might also like:
- Scientists Genetically Engineer Mosquitoes that Can't Spread Malaria
- Gene Drive Mosquitoes to Help Malaria Fight in Africa
- Scientists Develop Gene-Edited Mosquito to Help Eliminate Malaria
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
Plant
- Full Genome Sequence of Lablab Bean Now Available
- Scientists Find New Mechanisms Controling Plant's Temperature Response
- UC Davis Releases Fusarium-resistant Strawberries
- Origin Agritech GM Corn Hybrid Selected for National Demo Plot for 2023 Commercial Launch
-
Food
- FAO Identifies Meat, Eggs, and Milk as Most Vital Sources of Nutrients
- US FDA Says Yes to First University-made Sausage from Gene-edited Pigs
-
Health
- Scientists Identify Gene to Fine Tune Leukemia Progression
- Researchers Discover How Actin Prevents Malaria
-
Environment
- Inter-UC Project to Cut Livestock Methane Emissions Using CRISPR Gut Microbes
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (September 11, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (September 11, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet