is preventable and treatable, it remains a major cause of death globally—the estimated number of malaria deaths in 2020 stood at 627,000.
This solution works by targeting and inhibiting the parasite protein that de-branches forked DNA—an enzyme known as Flap Endonuclease—the team predicted the parasite would die quickly as its genome collapses. Using molecules which target the parasite enzyme, but not the human equivalent, could be a more effective way to treat the life-threatening disease.
"In reality, branches in DNA occur frequently every time a cell divides. These branches have to be correctly trimmed, like a gardener might trim off suckers from a rose bush. Cells use Flap Endonucleases to do this job and we've exploited differences between the parasite and the human enzyme. "Of the estimated 627,000 people who died of malaria, most of them were children living in Africa. The disease disproportionately affects poorer nations, maintaining a vicious cycle of disease and poverty."