Engineering substrate-based inhibitors of Plasmodium SUB1, a potential target for Malaria treatment (SUBUN)

The Researcher AK Puszko will be in charge of the development of peptidase inhibitors with potential interest in the treatment of Malaria. Malaria is the most important human parasitic disease and multi-resistant parasites seriously threaten its treatment and control. The situation strengthens the constant need to fuel the antimalarials pipeline with candidates active on new targets, expressed at essential stages of Plasmodium. The egress of merozoites from infected host cells is such a pivotal step that strictly depends upon parasite proteases, including a novel highly promising target, the Plasmodium-specific subtilisin SUB1, for which no useful inhibitor has been discovered yet. SUB1 plays a key role in the egress from hepatocytes and erythrocytes, including for male gametes (involved in parasite’s transmission via the Anopheles vector), indicating that an inhibitor would have both prophylactic and therapeutic value and obey to most severe WHO’s criteria of future anti-malarials, i.e. targeting all stages of parasite life cycle. Such innovative pre-lead candidate(s) will be patented before results dissemination within academia, industry and to wider audience. In this multidisciplinary context, the project will benefit AK Puszko who will gain extensive knowledge in new fields well established in the Host and secondment Host laboratories. This, together with scientific and transferable trainings, opportunities to develop network, communication to non-scientific audience, will strengthen her ability to become a leader in the new topic and establish her own research group in the future.

Project details

Basic Science

Jun 2020 — May 2022

$227,233

France