How the malaria parasite hijacks human red blood cells

A new study—done on a scale an order of magnitude greater than anything previously attempted in the field of malaria—has uncovered an arsenal of proteins produced by the malaria parasite that allows it to hijack and remodel human red blood cells, leaving the oxygen-carrying cells stiff and sticky. Those effects on the blood cells play a major role in the development of malaria, a disease responsible for millions of deaths every year, the researchers report in the July 11th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.

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