About Us Portfolio Press Careers Sitemap Advertise Contact Us Make this your Homepage

Custom Search

Register

Sign In

Sign In Using Facebook

Home » Tropical Disease News

Malaria's Key Survival Protein Identified, Offers Drug Hope

by Thilaka Ravi on February 04, 2010 at 11:11 AM Tropical Disease News

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have identified a key protein used by the malaria parasite to change human red blood cells, ensuring the parasite's survival.

Malaria's Key Survival Protein Identified, Offers Drug Hope

Related Links

Their discovery means researchers have a clear target against which to develop a new class of anti-malarial drugs that destroy the parasite.

Each year more than 400 million people contract malaria, and more than one million people, mostly children, die from the disease. The most lethal form of the disease is caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which invades red blood cells and drastically modifies them so it can survive.

Professor Alan Cowman, head of the institute's Infection and Immunity division, said the parasite remodels the red blood cells by exporting hundreds of so-called 'effector' proteins into the cytoplasm of the red blood cell. "These are key virulence proteins that allow the parasite to survive in the human and hide from the human immune system," Professor Cowman said.

"There has to be a mechanism that allows these effector proteins to be exported but until now we haven't known what it is."

Dr Justin Boddey, Dr Tony Hodder, Dr Svenja Gunther, Dr Andrew Pearce and Professor Cowman from the institute, in collaboration with Professor Richard Simpson, Dr Heather Patsiouras and Dr Eugene Kapp of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Professor Brendan Crabb and Paul Gilson at the Burnet Institute and Dr Tania de Koning-Ward at Deakin University, have identified a protein called Plasmepsin V as being essential for effector proteins to be exported into the red blood cell.

Page 1

Page 1 | 2

Next

Researchers Identify Hot Spots for Diabetes Genes

Smart Coating Of Surgical Implants To Ward Off Infection

More News on: Drug Toxicity, Protein Catabolic Rate, Signature Drug Toxicity, Fever

Comment & Contribute

Be the first to comment!
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters
	Notify me when reply is posted I agree to the terms and conditions
Your comments are automatically posted once they are submitted. All comments are however constantly reviewed for spam and irrelevant material (such as product or personal advertisements, email addresses, telephone numbers and website address). Such insertions do not conform to our policy and 'Terms of Use' and are either deleted or edited and republished. Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading.

Medwonders Health Network

Support Groups Members Discussions

Total Members - 55034
Support Groups - 445

Health News Index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Latest News Most Popular Most Commented

Risks and Benefits of Birthing Facilities Probed in New Study

How Metastatic Breast Cancer Hoodwinks the Immune System

High Recurrence of Shoulder Instability Noted in Army Studies

Access to Kidney Transplantation and Racial Disparities

Increasing Obesity and Diabetes Contribute to Drug Eluting Balloons Market Growth

News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :

News Quick Links

	News Central			Health Watch
	Latest Health News			Health In Focus
	News Category (500+)			Breaking Health News
	Popular News			Celebrating Life
	Health News and Press Release			Medindia - Exclusive
	News Photo Gallery			India Special
	News Video Gallery			Lifestyle and Wellness
	News From Other Resources

News Categories:


»	Imogen Thomas Seeks Hypnotherapy To Get Rid of Cake Addiction

»	Amitabh Bachchan to Undergo Minor Abdominal Surgery

»	Lady Gaga Battled Eating Disorders During Childhood

»	Acid Attack Survivor Katie Piper's Eyesight Restored After Stem Cell Surgery

»	I Will Draw Inspiration from Armstrong in Battling Illness: Yuvi
More Celebrity News

Tropical Disease Related News
»	'Test and Treat' Model Provides New Tactic for Malaria Eradication	»	Research on Vitamins Can Craft Novel Drugs to Encounter Malaria, Claims Southampton Varsity
»	Vitamin Biosynthesis Discovery Might Lead to Fresh Anti-Malaria Drug	»	Malaria's Genetic Secrets Could be Unravelled by Latest Technique
»	UN Reports Spike in Cholera Cases in DR Congo	»	Mass Vaccination for Low Diffusion Areas Intimated by New Model for Likely Malaria Vaccination
»	Disparities in Wealthy States Mounts, Maladies Sink: WHO	»	Cardinal Protein the Survival of Malaria Parasite Detected

Read More >>

Accident and Trauma Care Support Group	Acupuncture Support Group	Albinism / Hypopigmentation / Albinos Support Group
Alcohol abuse / Alcohol dependence / Alcoholism Support Group	Aromatherapy Support Group	Avian Influenza / Bird Flu Support Group
Ayurveda Support Group	Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Support Group	Birth Defects - Metabolic Defects Support Group

Malaria's Key Survival Protein Identified, Offers Drug Hope

Medwonders Health Network

Tropical Disease Related News

Consumers

Medical Professionals

Medical Students

Directories