Researchers at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), together with researchers from UK, US and India, have discovered a gene responsible for the reproduction of sickle malaria parasites in the red blood cells.
By disrupting this gene, the parasites stop reproducing as usual, reducing the symptoms of the disease and the spread of severe malaria, which kills more than half a million people annually.
Researchers made this discovery by using advanced laboratory techniques in the examination and identification of the molecules and genes of proteins involved in the sickle parasite cycle, in which a gene called PfAP2-MRP, which is "a vital upstream transcriptional regulator controlling essential processes in two distinct developmental stages during the IDC that include parasite growth", according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information of the National Library of Medicine, is disrupted, which significantly reduces the penetration of new human cells into the blood, and, in turn, contributes to reducing the symptoms of the disease and limiting the spread of infection among people.
Head of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at KFSH&RC in Jeddah and head researcher Dr. Ashraf Dada said: "The discovery paves the way for more effective medicines to treat sickle cell malaria, which is the most dangerous" of its forms.
He also said that the research provides for the scientific community a deeper understanding of how the disease develops and the response mechanism by the human immune system, thus contributing to efforts to combat the parasites causing the severe form of malaria, which is the deadliest and most prevalent in Africa.
The researchers also proved that the PfAP2-MRP gene controls the genes used by sickle cell parasites to form different new protein receptors in their genetic makeup, which circumvents the antibodies created by the immune system of the infected person, rendering them futile and causing the spread of malaria.
This study, published in the leading scientific journal Nature, was the result of cooperation between KFSH&RC and KAUST in conducting research that contributes to the discovery of innovative means to improve diagnosis in cases of infection with microbes, germs and parasites, in general, as well as to the prevention and treatment of diseases.
KFSH&RC is among the world's leading providers of specialist healthcare, a leader in innovation, and an advanced center in medical research and education. It seeks to develop medical technologies and improve healthcare globally in partnership with major local, regional and international institutions, and to offer world-class clinical, research and educational services.
