Researchers identify human protein that aids development of malaria parasite

(Rockefeller University Press) Researchers in Japan have discovered that the Plasmodium parasites responsible for malaria rely on a human liver cell protein for their development into a form capable of infecting red blood cells and causing disease. The study, which will be published June 12 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggests that targeting this human protein, known as CXCR4, could be a way to block the parasite's life cycle and prevent the development of malaria.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news