(Press-News.org) Contact information: Nalini Padmanabhan
padmanabhannm@niaid.nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
NIH-funded scientists identify potential target for malaria drugs
Protein is essential throughout malaria-causing parasite's life cycle
Researchers have identified the protein in malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites that is inhibited by a newly discovered class of anti-malarial compounds known as imidazopyrazines. The protein, phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI4K), is the first potential malaria drug target shown to be essential to all stages of the Plasmodium life cycle; imidazopyrazines impede its activity throughout this process. Led by Elizabeth Winzeler, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego and Novartis Research Foundation, the research was published online today in Nature. The work was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and other organizations.
When a Plasmodium-carrying mosquito bites a human, it transmits infectious parasites that travel to the liver, where they multiply and mature, and then spread throughout the bloodstream, causing malaria symptoms to develop. Dr. Winzeler and her colleagues administered imidazopyrazines to mice and nonhuman primates infected with Plasmodium and found that the compounds blocked the parasites' development both in the liver and in the bloodstream stages of infection.
They also exposed Plasmodium parasites directly to imidazopyrazines and searched for genetic differences between parasites susceptible to the compounds and those that were resistant. They found that the imidazopyrazine-resistant parasites had mutated versions of the gene that codes for PI4K.
Currently, only one drug, primaquine, has been approved for elimination of liver-stage parasites for the treatment of relapsing malaria. Knowing that PI4K makes Plasmodium parasites susceptible to imidazopyrazines during the liver and bloodstream stages should help researchers optimize these compounds for future clinical testing in humans, the study authors write.
INFORMATION:
ARTICLE:
McNamara CW et al. Targeting Plasmodium PI(4)K to eliminate malaria. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature12782 (2013).
Martin John Rogers, Ph.D., Program Officer, Parasite Drug Development, in NIAID's Parasitology and International Programs Branch, is available to discuss the findings.
To schedule interviews, please contact Nalini Padmanabhan, (301) 402-1663, padmanabhannm@niaid.nih.gov.
NIH-funded scientists identify potential target for malaria drugs
Protein is essential throughout malaria-causing parasite's life cycle
2013-11-28
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Fast, furious, refined: Smaller black holes can eat plenty
2013-11-28
Fast, furious, refined: Smaller black holes can eat plenty
This news release is available in Spanish.
Observations of a black hole powering an energetic X-ray source in a galaxy some 22 million light-years away could change our thinking about how some black ...
Ethical debate on face transplantation has evolved over time, reports Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
2013-11-28
Ethical debate on face transplantation has evolved over time, reports Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Once 'morally objectionable,' face transplantation now seen as 'feasible and necessary' procedure
Philadelphia, Pa. (November 27, 2013) – Once viewed ...
Lasers deemed highly effective treatment for excessive scars
2013-11-28
Lasers deemed highly effective treatment for excessive scars
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery assembles evidence on laser therapy for scar prevention and treatment
Philadelphia, Pa. (November 27, 2013) – Current laser therapy approaches are effective ...
Study finds vulnerability in malaria parasite
2013-11-28
Study finds vulnerability in malaria parasite
Highlights possible new approach to treatment
NEW YORK, NY (November 27, 2013) —An international team of scientists, including researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), has identified ...
What's the sound of a hundred thousand soccer fans?
2013-11-28
What's the sound of a hundred thousand soccer fans?
Brazilian researchers study acoustics of the caxirola, official World Cup instrument
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 27, 2013 – Mention vuvuzela to soccer fans, and they may cringe. The plastic horn rose to prominence ...
Glaciers sizzle as they disappear into warmer water
2013-11-28
Glaciers sizzle as they disappear into warmer water
The sounds of bubbles escaping from melting ice make underwater glacial fjords one of the loudest natural marine environments on earth
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 27, 2013 – Scientists have recorded and identified ...
Paleotempestology and 2011's Hurricane Irene
2013-11-28
Paleotempestology and 2011's Hurricane Irene
December 2013 GSA Today Science Article by S. Hippensteel et al.
Boulder, Colorado, USA – A new study published in the December issue of GSA Today examines the geological legacy of Hurricane Irene, not only in terms of ...
SOHO shows new images of Comet ISON
2013-11-28
SOHO shows new images of Comet ISON
EARTH Magazine: Old photos help scientists relocate 1906 San Francisco quake rupture point
2013-11-27
EARTH Magazine: Old photos help scientists relocate 1906 San Francisco quake rupture point
Alexandria, VA – Geoscientists using every resource available to them — from bare-earth LIDAR technology to knowledge of turn-of-the-century fashion — have helped correct ...
Children are significantly more likely to develop PTSD if the mother is already afflicted
2013-11-27
Children are significantly more likely to develop PTSD if the mother is already afflicted
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev study conducted following missile attacks in Israel
BEER-SHEVA, Israel…November 27, 2013 – A Ben-Gurion ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids
ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000
Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work
Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness
Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find
Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools
Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks
Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems
Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions
Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing
New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture
The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet
Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy
Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab
Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy
Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues
New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children
Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer
It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections
From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine
Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023
No evidence that medications trigger microscopic colitis in older adults
NYUAD researchers find link between brain growth and mental health disorders
Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds
University of Oregon to create national children’s mental health center with $11 million federal grant
Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research
Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma
Genetic ancestry linked to risk of severe dengue
Genomes reveal the Norwegian lemming as one of the youngest mammal species
[Press-News.org] NIH-funded scientists identify potential target for malaria drugsProtein is essential throughout malaria-causing parasite's life cycle