SwRI fabricates bed-netting prototypes to target malaria-causing parasites

Researchers share findings from in vivo studies in the latest issue of the journal Nature

2025-05-21

(Press-News.org) SAN ANTONIO — May 21, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute tapped into its drug formulation and manufacturing expertise to fabricate two bed netting prototypes targeting malaria-causing blood parasites. In a collaboration with researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)/Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center (PVAMC), SwRI designed netting systems to deliver antimalarial drugs called Endochin-like Quinolones (ELQs) that destroy Plasmodium parasites transmitted by mosquitoes. The findings appear in the latest issue of the journal Nature.

“If an infected mosquito hits or lands on either type of netting, it’s essentially disinfected,” said Institute Scientist Dr. Mike Rubal, a contributor to the Nature article. “The best defense against malaria has been insecticide-treated bed nets or those coated with larvicides, but mosquitoes are developing an immunity to those prevention methods. This novel approach targets the source of the disease.”

In 2023, the World Health Organization reported 263 million cases of malaria and nearly 600,000 deaths worldwide. The disease remains pervasive even with preventative measures and available treatments. Resistance to larvicides and pesticides is a growing concern among malaria researchers.

Rubal’s team coated a commercially available polyester bed net with an ELQ solution synthesized at OHSU/PVAMC. SwRI also blended a second formulation of ELQ into a hot-melt extrusion of high-density polyethylene filaments, which can be woven to make yarn for netting. The team at the Catteruccia lab at Harvard evaluated both netting systems for efficacy.

“We desperately need innovation in malaria control. This study offers a new, effective way to stop the transmission of malaria parasites, which we hope will reduce the burden of this devastating disease in Africa and beyond,” said corresponding author Dr. Flaminia Catteruccia, the Irene Heinz Given Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.

Native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, female Anopheles mosquitoes pass parasites to humans through saliva shared when they bite. Parasites attack and reproduce within the liver and red blood cells causing a variety of symptoms ranging from mild to severe. If left untreated, malaria can lead to brain damage, organ failure and even death, especially among children and other vulnerable populations.

“Our research shows that the two drugs, which are absorbed through the legs of the insect, kill parasites developing within the mosquito. By using two different ELQs, the likelihood of resistance is greatly diminished and possibly eliminated,” said Dr. Michael Riscoe, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at OHSU. “This emerging technology has great potential to impact efforts to control and eradicate malaria around the world.”

A National Institute of Health (NIH) R01 grant and funding from Open Philanthropy supported the research.

The Nature paper, “In vivo screen of Plasmodium targets for mosquito-based malaria control,” can be accessed here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09039-2.

To learn more, visit https://www.swri.org/markets/biomedical-health/pharmaceutical-development or https://www.swri.org/markets/chemistry-materials/chemistry-chemical-engineering/microencapsulation/extrusion.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Can social and economic welfare policies influence depression risk?

2025-05-21

Policies that impact social determinants of health may influence an individual’s risk of depression, according to a new study published May 21, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Mary Nicolaou of the Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands, and colleagues. Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of burden of disease worldwide. Interventions focused on individual behaviors, while effective, reduce depression incidence by only about 20%, meaning that most risk factors are left unaddressed. ...

Fuel breaks for forest fires could be more effective in reducing potential risks and impacts if planned using a new optimization approach, which accounts for uncertain wildfire behavior in fire-prone

2025-05-21

Fuel breaks for forest fires could be more effective in reducing potential risks and impacts if planned using a new optimization approach, which accounts for uncertain wildfire behavior in fire-prone landscapes of Alberta, Canada Article URL: https://plos.io/42Oi8ni Article title: Evaluating fuelbreak strategies for compartmentalizing a fire-prone forest landscape in Alberta, Canada Author countries: Canada, U.S. Funding: Funding for this work was provided by Natural Resource Canada’s Canadian Forest Service Wildfire Risk Management ...

Positive expressive writing consistently improves wellbeing, but not all techniques are created equal

2025-05-21

The benefits of positive expressive writing for psychological health and wellbeing depend on the particular approach and on individual differences, according to a systematic review published on May 21, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Lauren Hoult from Northumbria University, U.K., and colleagues. Writing interventions first explored in research direct people to write about stressful or negative topics repeatedly over the course of several consecutive days, which often improves mental health in the long run, but risks heightening negative emotions in the moment. Positive expressive writing, on the other hand, emphasizes self-reflection, gratitude, ...

Digital mental health tools need human touch - study

2025-05-21

One in eight people worldwide suffers from mental disorders, yet less than half receive adequate treatment. New research from the University of Reading, published today (Wed, 21 May) in PLOS One, reveals that keeping a human in the loop – even in scripted roles – significantly enhances emotional engagement and perceived empathy during online psychological interviews. Scientists tested 75 participants across three types of short online interviews about their wellbeing: one with a semi-scripted ...

Climate change has affected wine regions worldwide, but with uneven impacts

2025-05-21

All of the world’s winegrowing regions have been impacted by climate change, but with unequal impacts that vary across the growing season, reports a new study by E.M. Wolkovich of the University of British Columbia and colleagues, published May 21 in the open-access journal PLOS Climate. Winegrapes are an important perennial crop that has been highly affected by climate change. Studies show that warmer temperatures are shifting the regions suitable for winegrowing toward the poles, while traditional regions are yielding grapes that ripen faster ...

When lightning strikes: Gamma-ray burst unleashed by lightning collision

2025-05-21

Osaka, Japan – Lightning is a phenomenon that has fascinated humanity since time immemorial, providing a stark example of the power and unpredictability of the natural world. Although the study of lightning can be challenging, scientists have, in recent years, made great strides in developing our understanding of this extreme spectacle. A study that will be published in Science Advances, led by researchers from The University of Osaka, describes a world-first observation of an intense burst of radiation, known as a terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF), synchronized ...

Shrinking Nemo: Clownfish survive heatwaves by shrinking

2025-05-21

Clownfish have been shown to shrink in order to survive heat stress and avoid social conflict, Newcastle University research reveals. The fish, recognisable from the starring role in the film ‘Finding Nemo’, were studied by academics from the universities of Newcastle, Leeds and Boston, USA. The work was conducted in collaboration with Mahonia Na Dari Conservation and Research Centre, in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. The team measured the length of 134 clownfish every month for five months, and monitored the water ...

Penn engineers discover a new class of materials that passively harvest water from air

2025-05-21

A serendipitous observation in a Chemical Engineering lab at Penn Engineering has led to a surprising discovery: a new class of nanostructured materials that can pull water from the air, collect it in pores and release it onto surfaces without the need for any external energy. The research, published in Science Advances, was conducted by an interdisciplinary team, including Daeyeon Lee, Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE), Amish Patel, Professor in CBE, Baekmin Kim, a postdoctoral scholar in Lee’s lab and first author, and Stefan Guldin, Professor in Complex Soft Matter at the Technical University of Munich. Their work ...

‘Fast-fail’ AI blood test could steer patients with pancreatic cancer away from ineffective therapies

2025-05-21

An artificial intelligence technique for detecting DNA fragments shed by tumors and circulating in a patient’s blood, developed by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators, could help clinicians more quickly identify and determine if pancreatic cancer therapies are working. After testing the method, called ARTEMIS-DELFI, in blood samples from patients participating in two large clinical trials of pancreatic cancer treatments, researchers found that it could be used to identify therapeutic responses. ARTEMIS-DELFI and another method developed by investigators, called WGMAF, to study mutations were found to be better predictors ...

Plant cell sculptors

2025-05-21

New research from the Sainsbury Laboratory at the University of Cambridge has shed light on how plants precisely control their growth and development, revealing that seemingly similar molecular components fulfil surprisingly different jobs. The study, published in Science Advances, focuses on the SCAR/WAVE protein complex, a crucial molecular machine that helps shape plant cells by directing the formation of the internal cell scaffold known as the actin cytoskeleton. This is vital for processes like the growth of root hairs, which are essential for nutrient uptake, and the shape of leaf hairs, called trichomes. Plants, much like other complex ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists agree chemicals can affect behavior, but industry workers more reluctant about safety testing

DNA nanospring measures cellular motor power

Elsevier Foundation and RIKEN launch “Envisioning Futures” report: paving the way for gender equity and women’s leadership in Japanese research

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs