The Na+-H+ Exchanger And H+-pumping Pyrophosphatases Of The Malaria Parasite
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$664,604.00
Summary
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a single-celled parasite. The disease kills up to 2 million people each year and the parasite is becoming increasingly resistant to available drugs. This work focuses on the mechanisms by which the parasite controls its internal ion concentrations. These mechanisms may be new drug targets, and they may also play a role in antimalarial drug resistance. For both of these reasons it is important that we understand them.
The PH Of The Malaria Parasite's Digestive Vacuole And Its Role In Antimalarial Drug Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$210,990.00
Summary
Malaria is an infectious disease that infects an estimated 300-500 million people and kills an estimated 1.5-2.7 million people annually. The microscopic parasite responsible for the disease is becoming increasingly resistant to most of the antimalarial drugs presently available. However the mechanisms by which it does so are very poorly understood. The malaria parasite invades the red blood cells of its victim. Once itside, it sets about consuming the contents of the cell, ingesting them and de ....Malaria is an infectious disease that infects an estimated 300-500 million people and kills an estimated 1.5-2.7 million people annually. The microscopic parasite responsible for the disease is becoming increasingly resistant to most of the antimalarial drugs presently available. However the mechanisms by which it does so are very poorly understood. The malaria parasite invades the red blood cells of its victim. Once itside, it sets about consuming the contents of the cell, ingesting them and depositing them in a small acidic compartment called the digestive vacuole. Many of the antimalarial drugs presently in use target this compartment and interfere with the processes going on inside it. There is evidence that resistance to antimalarial drugs arises as a result of changes in this compartment, though what these changes are, and how they occur remains a mystery. This work focuses on the mechanisms involved in controlling the acidity of the parasite's digestive vacuole. We have preliminary evidence that parasites showing different levels of antimalarial drug resistance have different levels of acidity in their vacuoles, and that this may be due to differences in the rate at which acid leaks from this compartment. The aim of this work is to obtain a detailed understanding on the mechanisms by which the acidity of the parasite's digestive vacuole is regulated and to gain some insight into whether and how these mechanisms might differ between drug-resistant and drug-sensitive parasites. By so doing, this work might be expected, in the long term, to provide a basis for the devolpment of new drugs with which to combat this deadly and increasingly threatening disease.Read moreRead less