Last Updated: 29/01/2025
Discovery of vaccine targets and compounds against malaria transmission
Objectives
*Original in Portuguese: Descoberta de alvos vacinais e compostos contra transmissão da Malária
This project sets to characterize new genes as potential targets for transmission blocking, as well as a new compound as a transmission blocking drug candidate while also continuing the screenings to look for new transmission blocking compounds for use in an innovative “mosquito treatment” approach.
Studies for drug discovery and vaccine development for Malaria have traditionally focused on the asexual forms of the parasite in culture. The biology of the sexual stages of Plasmodium (the gametocytes and gametes) is quite different from the biology of the asexual stages, and few antimalarials in use are able to kill the gametocytes to prevent transmission of the parasite from humans to mosquitoes. Furthermore, few vaccine targets are known for development of transmission blocking vaccines. The laboratory has developed a large-scale screening system to identify new transmission blocking compounds, as well as to more easily identify genes involved in parasite transmission. New genes essential for transmission and a new compound with high transmission blocking potential at low concentrations have recently been identified.
Feb 2022 — Jan 2027
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