Researchers produce molecule to kill malaria without harming blood cells

A research team at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, published study results on Wednesday that revealed molecules toxic to Plasmodium falciparum but not human red blood cells, creating a way to combat malaria infection. The Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which causes malaria, has been difficult to treat because of its adaptation and resistance to treatment. The study, led by Facility of Sciences Professor Didier Picard, examined Heat Shock Protein 90, which is essential in several steps of malaria’s life cycle. “Our goal was to determine if there was a difference between the human form and the parasitic form of HSP90 that we could exploit for therapeutic purposes,” Tai Wang, a Ph.D. student at the Department of Cell Biology of UNIGE, said. “The human chaperone harbors a “pocket” that binds molecules known to inhibit its activity. I compared it with that of the Plasmodium, hoping to find a difference which could be targeted by a...