Last Updated: 31/07/2024
Study of the gene PBANKA_1038800 from P. berghei as a potential target for blocking malaria transmission
Objectives
*Original in Portuguese: Estudo do gene PBANKA_1038800 de P. berghei como alvo potencial para bloqueio de transmissão da malária
This project aims to deepen studies on the gene PBANKA_1038800 and the protein it encodes, locating it in the protozoan and producing it recombinantly for the production of antibodies, with the purpose of studying whether these antibodies would be capable of inhibiting the fertilization of the protozoan, thus characterizing the protein as a potential candidate for the development of a transmission inhibition vaccine.
Through advances in genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics, currently studies analyzing these tools in search of new targets for potential drugs and vaccines are increasingly present in academia. Important targets to be sought are proteins involved in the life cycle of the protozoan Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, for potential vaccine formulations, such as for the strategy of vaccines to inhibit disease transmission. Recently, the gene PBANKA_1038800 was identified from P. berghei, conserved in different species of Plasmodium, as essential for the fertilization of the protozoan during its sexual reproduction phase.
Aug 2022 — May 2025
