Dr Phuong Tran at the ANU Research School of Biology. Photo: Stuart Hay, ANU
A new study has revealed a weak spot in the complex life cycle of malaria, which could be exploited to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. It found female malaria parasites put on fat differently to male ones. "The study opens potential new ways to combat malaria," said Associate Professor Alexander Maier, from the Research School of Biology. "Malaria parasites show resistance to all current anti-malarial drugs. We are losing our weapons against this very important disease. But by studying lipid molecules - fats - rather than proteins or DNA we have opened a new avenue to develop drug treatments for malaria." More than half a million people die of malaria every year and 40 percent of the world's population is at risk of contracting the disease. The spread of malaria by mosquitoes is a surprisingly inefficient process.
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