Defeating cerebral malaria by adenosine2a receptor blockade

Every 2 minutes a child dies as a result of a malaria infection. One reason for this is the high complication rate in children under 5 years of age. One of these complications is so-called cerebral malaria, in which the brain is involved and is often fatal. However, previous therapies target the malaria parasite and neglect the pathological role of the immune system, especially the CD8 + T cells, which in the case of cerebral malaria seem to be primarily responsible for the destruction of blood vessels in the brain. Due to promising preclinical data, the team around Karin Albrecht-Schgör at the Institute for Cell Genetics from the Medical University of Innsbruck is confident of contributing to research into the pathology of cerebral malaria. With a completely new approach, Karin Albrecht-Schgör would also like to direct the therapy of cerebral malaria directly to the immune system. By blocking the A2a receptor on T cells, these cells should be regulated in such a way that the malaria parasite cannot multiply as quickly and at the same time, the destructive activity of the CD8 + T cells in the brain is reduced. Clinical application is possible in the near future, as there is already an FDA approved drug that selectively blocks the A2a receptor and is very well tolerated.

Project details

Basic Science

Oct 2020 — Jun 2022

$121,179

Austria