NTU and SMART scientists discover potential treatment for severe malaria

Scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have discovered a potential treatment that could be effective against severe malaria and even drug-resistant malaria.

The joint research team discovered a new molecular pathway (a new series of interactions among molecules in a cell) and various compounds that could boost human immune cells’ ability to identify and attack malaria-infected red blood cells (iRBCs). This could improve an infected patient’s chances of recovery and lower the risk that they develop a more serious infection, which could lead to organ failure.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasite which affects over 216 million people worldwide and could be fatal in serious cases. It is still a huge problem in developing countries because there is no vaccine for malaria while antimalarial drugs are losing their efficacy with drug resistance on the rise, especially in Africa and South-east Asia. In 2017 alone, there are 445,000 malaria-induced deaths globally.

For decades, doctors and scientists have been baffled why some people are more vulnerable to malaria than others. This latest discovery by the joint research team which was published in the peer-reviewed academic journal PLOS Pathogens last week has shed light into this mystery.