Preventing malaria by removing proteins

Researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) have shown that the malaria parasite cannot penetrate a human red blood cell when key proteins are deleted.

Their study, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, gives fresh hope to the development of much-needed new antimalarial treatment, with existing drugs becoming less effective as the parasite develops resistance.

Professor Alan Cowman and his team at WEHI discovered that three proteins known as Rh5, Ripr and CyRPA together form a complex that plays a vital role in the ability of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite to invade healthy human blood cells. In a study that effectively removed or ‘knocked out’ the Ripr or CyRPA proteins, the malaria parasite was unable to invade the red blood cell, stopping infection.

“These findings hold great promise for understanding the function of these proteins and their development as vaccines,” said Professor Cowman, adding that the development of new vaccines for malaria is a global research priority.

Image credit: Professor Alan Cowman, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.