How to save even 3000 people a day? The development of the new antimalarial drug!

Malaria is a serious disease caused by a parasite known as protest that commonly infects a

Malaria is a mosqito-borne disease

certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans. Symptoms of malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness and untreated may be fatal. The USF researchers (part of larger Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) project) discovered and developed a number of potent substances to combat malaria known as quinolones. Quinolones (not to be confused with quinine - the predominant malarial medication until the 1920s), especially ELQ-300, which is undergoing the clinical testing, demonstrated impressive preventive and transmission-blocking combined with low possibility to develop resistant strains of malaria parasites. Moreover, it is believed to be produced cheaper than other existing antimalarial drugs, which is of great values as malaria strikes most often in poor developing countries. In addition, the new design makes ELQ-300 more effective at lower doses meaning smaller and potentially cheaper pills.

Map of malaria-endemic countries

Malaria parasites life cycle

The key factor for development of any antimalarial drug is fine-tuning a drug to obtain a  long half-life to prevent malaria in host as well as to protect  against reinfection for long time. It is all due to mode of infection of malaria. Humans are affected by the malaria parasite after it enters the body through the bite of an infected mosquito. The infecting parasites target for liver and for most types of malaria multiply and destroy liver cells, going back to blood system. The parasites are then modified to attack red blood cells, rapidly create more parasites spreading through the whole body.

In the case of ELQ-300 the potential lies in its ability to kill malaria parasites at all three stages of its life cycle not only curing sick people, but also preventing the infections as it works in mosquitoes’ bodies as well.  It differs from available alternative treatments as it does not generate drug-resistant strains of the malaria parasite like atovaquone, even though it targets the same biological pathway.

Will ELQ-300 fulfil all expectations put in it and cease the malaria for good? Will it be as cheap as the researchers want it to be? For the sake for the poorest we have to hope so!

Jacek Plewka

Sources:

www.sciencedaily.com

www.cdc.gov

www.humanosphere.org