Malaria—a new route of access to the heart of the parasite
Tuesday, April 12, 2016 - 06:00
in Biology & Nature
Scientists have just identified an Achilles heel in the parasite that causes malaria, by showing that its optimum development is dependent on its ability to expropriate RNA molecules in infected cells – a host-pathogen interaction that had never previously been observed. Although the precise function of this deviation remains mysterious, these findings open new perspectives for the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents within the parasite. This study, performed by the CNRS Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN laboratory (Strasbourg), in collaboration with the Malaria Infection and Immunity Unit at Institut Pasteur (Paris), is published in PNAS the week of 11 April 2016.