Uploaded March 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A novel class of antimalarial compounds that can effectively kill malaria parasites has been developed by Australian and US researchers. The research was a collaboration between the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and global pharmaceutical company MSD.
In this video, we see malaria-infected red blood cells. The parasites invade and replicate unchecked in the red blood cells, and – when we zoom in – we see the small round parasites burst out of the infected red blood cells. This process, called egress, is essential for infection and transmission of the parasite.
The novel antimalarial compounds block parasites from escaping red blood cells, the so-called 'blood stage' of infection. 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 target a previously unexplored parasite pathway and could overcome existing issues of parasite drug resistance, an ongoing and increasingly urgent problem.
Read more: wehi.edu.au/news/novel-compound-sparks-new-malaria-treatment-hope
A novel class of antimalarial compounds that can effectively kill malaria parasites has been developed by Australian and US researchers. The research was a collaboration between the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and global pharmaceutical company MSD.
In this video, we see malaria-infected red blood cells. The parasites invade and replicate unchecked in the red blood cells, and – when we zoom in – we see the small round parasites burst out of the infected red blood cells. This process, called egress, is essential for infection and transmission of the parasite.
The novel antimalarial compounds block parasites from escaping red blood cells, the so-called 'blood stage' of infection. 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 target a previously unexplored parasite pathway and could overcome existing issues of parasite drug resistance, an ongoing and increasingly urgent problem.
Read more: wehi.edu.au/news/novel-compound-sparks-new-malaria-treatment-hope
