Global Malaria News

Researchers have long known that all of the millions of malaria parasites within an infected person's body move through their cell cycle at the same time. They multiply in sync inside red blood cells, then burst out in unison every few days. But how the parasites keep time was unclear. Now, a study finds that malaria has its own internal clock that causes thousands of genes to ramp up and down at regular intervals.

The parasite that causes malaria has its own internal clock, explaining the disease's rhythmic fevers and opening new pathways for therapeutics.

Researchers have identified a microscopic 'ingredient' that can be added to a malaria vaccine for efficient protection against the deadly pathogen.

A modification that creates more male offspring was able to eliminate populations of malaria mosquitoes in lab experiments.

Researchers have developed a new approach to detecting a person's immunity to an infectious disease -- providing valuable details about whether and when a person was exposed to the infection. The test was developed for detecting recent exposure to malaria, but the research team are now working to adapt it to detect previous exposure to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. By providing a detailed picture of when an infection spread in a community, the test offers new opportunities for improving infection control and elimination strategies -- particularly in lower income countries.

A new computational method for assigning the donor in single cell RNA sequencing experiments provides an accurate way to unravel data from a mixture of people. The Souporcell method could help study how genetic variants in different people affect which genes are expressed during infection or response to drugs, and help research into transplants, personalized medicine and malaria.

Wide-scale use of insecticide-treated bed nets has led to substantial declines in global incidences of malaria in recent years. As a result, mosquitoes have been shifting their biting times to earlier in the evening and later in the morning.

For the first time, researchers have shown a key difference in the three-dimensional structures of a key metabolic enzyme in the parasite that causes malaria compared to its human counterpart.

Mass drug administration and vector control can help eliminate malaria. A vector refers to an organism that transmits infection, as mosquitoes infected with parasites transmit malaria to people.

In a study that could lead to a new vaccine against malaria, researchers have found antibodies that trigger a 'kill switch' in malarial cells, causing them to self-destruct.

New research from entomologists clears a potential obstacle to using CRISPR-Cas9 'gene drive' technology to control mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and Zika.

Mosquito-transmitted diseases such as malaria, dengue and yellow fever are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. A new low-cost imaging system could make it easier to track mosquito species that carry disease, enabling a more timely and targeted response.

The parasite causing the most severe form of human malaria uses proteins to make red blood cells sticky, making it harder for the immune system to destroy it and leading to potentially fatal blood clots. New research has identified how the parasite may control this process.

There are large parts of the DNA that are not used for making proteins. This is called 'junk DNA', because its function remained unclear for a long time. However, a certain type of junk DNA that is found in mosquitoes and which repeats itself dozens of times, known as 'satellite DNA', has now been shown to play an essential role in the early development of mosquito embryos.

Malaria is a leading killer of children worldwide, and new drugs are needed. New research reports encouraging early clinical results with a new compound.

Researchers estimate 20% of the malaria risk in deforestation hot spots is driven by the international trade of exports including: coffee, timber, soybean, cocoa, wood products, palm oil, tobacco, beef and cotton. The results of the study can be used for more demand-side approaches to mitigating malaria incidence by focusing on regulating malaria-impacted global supply chains.

A novel class of antimalarial compounds that can effectively kill malaria parasites has been developed. In preclinical testing, the compounds were effective against different species of malaria parasites, including the deadly Plasmodium falciparum, and at multiple stages of the parasite lifecycle. The compounds could overcome existing issues of parasite drug resistance. The researchers hope that drugs based on these early compounds will soon enter phase 1 clinical trials.

Malaria parasites can sense a molecule produced by approaching immune cells and then use it to protect themselves from destruction, according to new findings.

An innovative -- and inexpensive -- technique targets mosquito larvae where they live.

Scientists have made a major breakthrough in understanding how the parasite that causes malaria is able to multiply at such an alarming rate, which could be a vital clue in discovering how it has evolved, and how it can be stopped. For the first time, scientists have shown how certain molecules play an essential role in the rapid reproduction of parasite cells, which cause this deadly disease.