Project to combat malaria

Elena Gómez-Díaz

Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López Neyra (CSIC), España

The pathogens that cause diseases face sudden, unpredictable changes in their host environment, such as the massive administration of drugs or vaccines or ecological perturbations caused by climate change. To survive in this changing environment, the microorganisms have developed rapid change mechanisms. Discovering and blocking these mechanisms represents one of the greatest challenges of our time to global health.

The malaria-causing parasite is one of these pathogens that varies its form and function rapidly to adapt to changes. For example, in malaria-endemic areas different species of mosquitos exist which are vectors of the disease and represent different environments for the parasite. Which species of mosquitos are present at any particular time and place depends on a wide variety of factors for which the malaria parasite has to be prepared if it is to survive, otherwise it will die.

This project analyses the epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to the malaria parasite’s rapid adaptation, which enables it to survive in the short term and continue transmitting the disease in new environments. Knowledge of this adaptation mechanism will enable scientists to approach new treatments to eradicate malaria.

• Lisa Ranford-Cartwright, University of Glasgow, Reino Unido

• Mahamadou Diakite, USTTB, Malaria Rsearch and Training Center, Mali

Coping with unpredictability: regulatory plasticity as an adaptation strategy in the human malaria parasite (ADAPTORDIE)

999.548 €