Malaria News and Research

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Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite called Plasmodium - when infected mosquitoes bite the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Even though this potentially fatal disease can be prevented and cured, each year 350-500 million cases of malaria still occur worldwide, and over one million people die, most of them young children in Africa south of the Sahara, where one in every five (20%) childhood deaths is due to the effects of the disease.

Malaria is so common in Africa because a lack of resources and political instability have prevented the building of solid malaria control programs. Experts say an African child has on average between 1.6 and 5.4 episodes of malaria fever each year and according to the World Health Organization (WHO) as many as half of the world's population are at risk of malaria mainly in the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries and every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria.

The exchange of nutrients between the mother and fetus mirrored by ‘placenta-on-a-chip’

Plasmodium falciparum infections can result in placental malaria, which can have serious consequences for both mother and child. Nearly 200,000 newborn fatalities annually from placental malaria, primarily as a result of low birth weight, as well as 10,000 maternal deaths.

27 Sep 2022

Hydroquinine inhibits and kills several strains of clinically important bacteria

A naturally occurring substance known as hydroquinine has been discovered by researchers to have bacterial killing ability against a variety of pathogens.

2 Sep 2022

Scientists link the function of specific domain of proteins to a cancer trigger in humans

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have definitively linked the function of a specific domain of proteins important in plant-microbe biology to a cancer trigger in humans, knowledge that had eluded scientists for decades.

6 Jul 2022

Researchers developed a weapon to combat drug-resistant malaria

As the efficiency of conventional antimalarial medications deteriorates, a novel approach to combating malaria that sees the disease turn against itself could provide a viable treatment for the hundreds of millions of people affected globally every year.

6 Jun 2022

New software device makes genetic information analysis simpler

Researchers from Texas Biomedical Research Institute and Tulane University have created a new software device that makes analyzing genetic data about a host and its microbiome at the very same time simpler, quicker, and less expensive.

10 May 2022

National DNA Day 2022: an interview with Professor Matthew Cobb

To celebrate National DNA Day 2022, we spoke to science communicator Professor Matthew Cobb.

From The University of Manchester 25 Apr 2022

Researchers use CRISPR gene editing tool to analyze globin gene switching

CRISPR gene editing—a form of “molecular scissors”—was used by UNSW researchers to investigate how deletions in one section of the genome might impact the expression of surrounding genes.

From The University of New South Wales (UNSW) 19 Apr 2022

Edinburgh scientists solve century-old evolutionary puzzle about malaria parasites

Scientists have solved a 100-year-old mystery about the evolutionary links between malaria parasites that infect humans and chimpanzees.

7 Apr 2022

Microbial communities with auxotrophs more likely to have increased drug tolerance, study finds

Research from the Francis Crick Institute has revealed a key mechanism which increases tolerance to drugs amongst microbial communities.

22 Mar 2022

Improving the long-term effectiveness of TB vaccine in mice

Briefly blocking a key molecule when administering the only approved vaccine for tuberculosis vastly improves long-term protection against the devastating disease in mice, researchers from Texas Biomedical Research Institute report this week in the Journal of Immunology.

14 Mar 2022

Experts identify a potential new target for antimalarial development

A protein that plays an important biological role in the malaria-causing parasite has been discovered by an international research team.

18 Feb 2022

Study reveals how a fly’s brain contributes to sensing the cold and limiting reproduction

Scientists have uncovered a set of neurons in fruit flies that shut down in cold temperatures and slow reproduction, a system conserved in many insects, including mosquitoes, which could provide a target for pest control.

18 Feb 2022

Study provides insight into the mechanism of action of DNA topoisomerase VI at the molecular level

The enzyme DNA topoisomerase VI (topo VI) plays a vital role in eliminating chromosome tangles that arise in the cell nucleus of plants.

4 Feb 2022

Non-neutralizing antibodies likely to protect against COVID, says study

Non-neutralizing antibodies may also be crucial in giving protection against COVID-19, according to a recent study from Lund University in Sweden.

20 Jan 2022

Understanding mosquitoes' mating game could help curb the spread of malaria

Male mosquitoes beat their wings faster when swarming at sunset to better detect females and increase their chance of reproducing, finds a novel study led by UCL scientists.

From University College London 13 Jan 2022

New high-quality assay can be used in at-home tests for rapid COVID-19 screening

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have designed a high-quality assay that can be used in at-home tests for rapid COVID-19 screening.

4 Jan 2022

Study reveals strong link between infection rates and authoritarian attitudes, governance

According to psychologists, in addition to our physiological immune system, we also have a behavioral one: an unconscious code of conduct that helps us stay disease-free, including fear and avoidance of unfamiliar - and so possibly infected - people.

22 Sep 2021

Study outlines the advantages of organoids for basic research into coronaviruses

Scientists created an organoid biobank to investigate the genes that are vital for the spreading of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

21 Sep 2021

Researchers identify new forms of mosquito immune cells

Recent research detailing mosquito immune cells provides insights into the insect immune system and how mosquitoes transmit parasites that result in malaria.

31 Aug 2021

Researchers create new drug database to facilitate repurposing of drugs

Scientists developed a new open-access database with information on drug candidates and the process of metabolization of the drugs by the body.

5 Aug 2021