Novel anti-malarial drug developed from blood thinner by Australian scientists

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJun 2 2010

Dr Ananya Mandal, MD

Malaria caused by a parasite that is borne in female mosquitoes and that spreads in humans through mosquito bites is a major public health problem and it kills more than a million people world wide each year. With the rise of resistance of many of the strains of the malaria parasite to most of the anti-malarial drugs the problem is escalating at an alarming pace.

At present the drugs that are used to treat malaria prevent the development of the parasite after it enters the red blood cells. In a new groundbreaking discovery Australian researchers from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne have found that common blood-thinning drug Hepron could stop the red blood cells from becoming infected with the parasite in the first place. The researchers say that this could pave the way for development of drugs for resistant strains of the parasite.

Dr James Beeson, the head of the institute's laboratory and lead researcher says, “So what we've been able to do is tease out the activity of these sort of compounds, Hepron-like compounds, that work against malaria but doesn't thin the blood.” He further explained that, “All of the treatments that are available at the moment really act by blocking or inhibiting or slowing down the development of the parasite, the malaria organism, once it's inside the red blood cell…Our approach was to identify a way of blocking the parasite's ability to actually get into the red blood cell in the first place.” Dr. Beeson’s team included his colleagues Michelle Boyle and Jack Richards from the institute's infection and immunity division. There was also a significant contribution from scientists from Melbourne's Burnet Institute and Imperial College, London in the study.

The study was published today in the reputed international journal Blood. Study researchers hope that new drug will be available for use within the next decade.