Plasmodium falciparum News and Research

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Evolution of malaria protein family offers new drug targets

Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute and the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) have shown that the evolution of a family of exported proteins in the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum enabled it to infect humans.

19 May 2025

Malaria parasite found to evade the immune system by shutting down key genes

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered how a parasite that causes malaria when transmitted through a mosquito bite can hide from the body's immune system, sometimes for years.

16 May 2025

Malaria infection linked to childhood cancer risk

New data published in The Journal of Immunology uncovered the role of Plasmodium falciparum infection (malaria) in the development of Burkitt lymphoma (BL), the most common childhood cancer in equatorial Africa and New Guinea.

25 Apr 2025

Genetic diversity of malaria parasite challenges one size fits all strategies

Despite decades of efforts focused on mosquito eradication, drug therapies, and vaccines, malaria remains hard to beat, especially in Africa.

11 Apr 2025

New malaria control strategy targets protein system in mosquitoes

A molecular quality-control system in Anopheles mosquitoes-the species responsible for most of the world's malaria cases-is a promising target for future malaria-control strategies, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

11 Mar 2025

Epigenetic inhibitors show promise in malaria treatment

Epigenetic inhibitors as a promising new antimalarial intervention strategy? A new study identifies an inhibitor of gene regulation that specifically kills the malaria pathogen.

20 Feb 2025

Groundbreaking malaria vaccine provides high-level protection with just one dose

Scientists at Sanaria and Seattle Children's Research Institute's Center for Global Infectious Disease Research (CGIDR) have unveiled a groundbreaking malaria vaccine, Sanaria® PfSPZ-LARC2 Vaccine, designed to provide high-level protection with just one dose.

12 Feb 2025

Single-dose malaria vaccine offers unprecedented 90% protection

Results from the malaria vaccine trial indicate that GA2 immunization provides significant protection, paving the way for more effective vaccination strategies.

8 Jan 2025

Scientists identify novel antibodies for fighting malaria

A novel class of antibodies that binds to a previously untargeted portion of the malaria parasite could lead to new prevention methods, according to a study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published today in Science.

3 Jan 2025

New research project aims to uncover molecular factors behind malaria’s deadliest strain

Nearly half the world's population lives in regions where malaria is endemic, with the parasite Plasmodium falciparum accounting for approximately 95% of malaria-related deaths globally.

20 Dec 2024

New target identified for malaria treatment

Malaria, caused by a parasite transmitted to humans through an infected mosquito's bite, is a leading cause of illness and death worldwide.

18 Dec 2024

A roadmap for understanding antimalarial drug resistance

Researchers at University of California San Diego analyzed the genomes of hundreds of malaria parasites to determine which genetic variants are most likely to confer drug resistance.

28 Nov 2024

Late-liver-stage malaria vaccine delivers 89% protection and boosts cellular immunity

Genetically attenuated malaria parasites with extended liver-stage arrest (GA2) showed 89% protection in a clinical trial, surpassing earlier vaccine candidates and highlighting the potential of cellular immunity.

26 Nov 2024

Scientists develop method to study malaria's sticky proteins

Scientists have unveiled a new tool for studying the highly variable traits that allow malaria parasites to stick to red blood cells and evade the immune system.

26 Nov 2024

Breakthrough discovery could lead to novel malaria vaccines and therapies

Malaria, particularly in its severe forms, remains a global health and economic burden. It causes the deaths of more than 600,000 people every year – most of them African children under five.

21 Nov 2024

Artemisinin resistance detected in children with severe malaria in Uganda

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at Makerere University in Uganda, have uncovered evidence of partial resistance to artemisinin derivatives - the primary treatment for malaria - in young children with severe, or "complicated," malaria.

15 Nov 2024

Study finds artemisinin resistance in African children with severe malaria

Mutations in malarial parasites linked to artemisinin-resistance in Southeast Asia have now been found in African children hospitalised for complicated malaria, according to a new study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH).

15 Nov 2024

WHO study names top pathogens in need of new vaccines

A new World Health Organization (WHO) study published today in eBioMedicine names 17 pathogens that regularly cause diseases in communities as top priorities for new vaccine development.

5 Nov 2024

New test promises to end malaria

Almost half of the world's population is at risk of malaria infection, with children and pregnant women at the highest risk of getting sick and dying from the disease. Current methods to detect this potentially deadly infection rely on obtaining an invasive blood sample, and each test has significant limitations that restrict its utility.

29 Oct 2024

Deforestation drives a surge in malaria cases in the Amazon

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is linked to a rise in malaria cases, with a 1% increase in deforestation leading to a 6.3% spike in cases the following month. This relationship is strongest in highly forested and indigenous areas.

23 Oct 2024