Is Artemisinin Drug Resistance in Africa on the Rise?
Release Date: 10/09/2023
The Goldilocks Dose: Modulating Mosquito Diet to Control Malaria
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
Feeding mosquitoes L-DOPA can either strengthen their defences against malaria or shorten their lifespan — showing that in vector control, the dose makes the difference Transcript As with all medicine, the dose determines whether something helps or harms. Researchers recently looked at a substance commonly found in mosquito habitats that might form part of their diet. It’s called L-3-4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, or L-DOPA. Mosquitoes use it as a source of melanin. At low doses – up to a concentration of 2% – L-DOPA was toxic to mosquitoes and reduced the number of malaria parasites they...
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SPECIAL: Hackathons for Malaria Genetic Epidemiology (with Bryan Greenhouse)
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
How do you turn vast amounts of genetic data into actionable insight – efficiently and accurately? Professor Bryan Greenhouse of UCSF discusses a series of “hackathons” at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (JHMRI) that bring together scientists from around the world to tackle one of the biggest challenges in malaria research: analyzing parasite genetics. By developing open-source tools, workflows, and training resources, these collaborations are making cutting-edge analysis more accessible to labs and public health programs everywhere.
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EXTENDED: From River Blindness to Malaria Control – The Ivermectin Story (with Carlos Chaccour and Joseph Mwangangi)
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
In Kwale, Kenya, where bed nets alone can’t stop malaria, researchers are testing ivermectin – a drug long used to treat parasitic infections – as a new way to kill mosquitoes. Trials show a 26% drop in malaria cases and added benefits against other mosquito-borne diseases, suggesting ivermectin could be a scalable, community-driven tool in the fight against insecticide resistance. With Carlos Chaccour (researcher at the Navarra Center for International Development) and Joseph Mwangangi (scientist at KEMRI) About The Podcast The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute is produced by the Johns...
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Ivermectin’s Potential in the Fight Against Malaria
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
About The Podcast The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute podcast is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.
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EXTENDED: The Turning Point – What Drives Malaria to Become Severe? (with Mark Travassos, Mahamadou Ali Thera and Rafal Sobota)
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
Focusing on patients in Mali, researchers examine why some children develop life-threatening complications like cerebral malaria or severe malarial anemia. With Mark Travassos (University of Maryland School of Medicine), Mahamadou Ali Thera (University of Science Techniques and Technologies of Bamako), and Rafal Sobota (Northwestern University). About The Podcast The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.
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What Severe Malaria Cases Have In Common
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
Although severe malaria presents in different clinical forms – such as cerebral malaria or severe malarial anemia – a new study reveals that all severe cases have one thing in common: a shared inflammatory signature Transcript Whilst most cases of malaria are mild, some take a dangerous turn. In severe cases, the malaria parasite can overwhelm the body, disrupting the blood-brain barrier and leading to cerebral malaria, or destroying so many red blood cells that it triggers life-threatening anemia. Now, a new study has taken a closer look at this progression – from uncomplicated malaria...
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EXTENDED: Curing the Mosquito – Bed Nets That Target Parasites (with Alexandra Probst)
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
Dr. Alexandra Probst discusses a breakthrough in malaria prevention: bed nets coated with anti-parasitic drugs that stop transmission by curing infected mosquitoes. With Alexandra Probst, former graduate student at Harvard University. About The Podcast The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.
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Bed Nets That Target Parasites, Not Just Mosquitoes
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
How next-generation bed nets could stop malaria by killing the parasites inside mosquitoes, not just the mosquitoes themselves. Transcript Bed nets have long been a cornerstone of vector control. Coated with insecticide, they serve a dual purpose: preventing bites and killing mosquitoes. But what if those nets could do more – not only kill the mosquitoes, but for those they don’t kill because of increasing insecticide resistance, at least kill the parasites hidden inside them? Researchers assembled a library of antiparasitic compounds active against the form of the parasite in the mosquito...
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EXTENDED: Why Malaria Vaccines May Work Better in Some Places Than Others (with Lemu Golassa)
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
The extent to which malaria vaccines reduce cases and deaths is a key consideration. But there’s another factor, too. with Dr. Lemu Golassa, Head of Medical Parasitology at Addis Ababa University. About The Podcast The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.
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Mismatch Between Malaria Vaccines and Local Parasite Strains in Ethiopia
Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute
A recent study in Ethiopia reveals that local malaria parasite strains differ genetically from those targeted by current vaccines, potentially reducing their effectiveness. Transcript The recent introduction of two malaria vaccines in sub-Saharan Africa represents a major success in global health, and the culmination of decades of research and development. The two jabs – RTS,S and R21 – target a protein on the surface of the malaria parasite as it enters the skin, called the circumsporozoite protein, or CSP. The vaccines are based on a specific form of CSP. The challenge is that there are...
info_outlineResearchers examine the rise of artemisinin drug resistance in Eritrea - and search for its genetic basis.
Transcript
Artemisinin – a key antimalarial drug – and other drugs derived from it, are fast losing their effectiveness across South East Asia and increasingly in Africa, too. To investigate this, researchers conducted a review of drug efficacy studies in the East African country of Eritrea. They looked for the rates of delayed parasite clearance in the three days following treatment – a key marker of partial drug resistance. They found a troubling pattern: delayed parasite clearance climbed from 0.4% in 2016 to 1.9% in 2017, followed by a marked increase to 4.2% in 2019. By isolating and sequencing parasitic DNA, they found that this trend was associated with the rise of a novel mutation to the Kelch13 region of the parasite, called R622I. Given the lack of alternative drugs, the emergence of resistance in Africa is concerning.
Source
Increasing Prevalence of Artemisinin-Resistant HRP2-Negative Malaria in Eritrea
About The Podcast
The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute podcast is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.