An international team of scientists has announced a breakthrough in the fight against malaria, paving the way for the development of new drugs to treat the deadly disease.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) malaria currently infects more than 225 million people worldwide and accounts for nearly 800,000 deaths every year. In Africa, the disease accounts for approximately 20% of all childhood deaths. Malaria is caused by the malaria parasite, Plasmodium, that is injected into the human host through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. Researchers have discovered new ways in which the malarial parasite survives in the bloodstream of its victims. They found that a crucial element required by malaria parasites to survive in the human blood stream is a group of enzymes called protein kinases. If these are stopped from working then the malaria parasites die. The team are now looking for drugs that are able to stop the protein kinases from working.
