Malaria

Researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology have fine-tuned an artificial leaf design and used it to produce drugs for the first time.

Antibiotics aren’t picky, blasting good and bad bacteria alike and messing up the delicate balance of the gut microbiome. But now researchers have developed a more targeted approach, with drugs that are able to zero in on specific species of bacteria.

​An estimated 429,000 people die from malaria annually. And while it's tempting to spray heavily for the mosquitoes that spread the disease, conventional insecticides are also toxic to humans and other animals. Now, however, a neurotoxin has been discovered that only kills the offending mosquitoes.

A genetically modified fungus designed to safely reduce malaria-spreading mosquito populations has been successfully tested outside of laboratory conditions in a simulated village environment. The trial decimated the mosquito population in 45 days paving the way for more trials in open environments.

The world’s first malaria vaccine is beginning a wide roll out commencing in Malawi before being introduced into Ghana and Kenya over the following weeks. This initial pilot program is aimed at children up to two years of age, with over one million expected to be immunized over the next three years.

​Although killing mosquitos is one way of keeping them from spreading malaria, the pests can develop a resistance to insecticides. Scientists from Harvard University are therefore looking at another approach, in which live mosquitos are made malaria-free simply by landing on a treated surface.

A team of researchers have revealed an innovative new salvia test that promises to quickly and cheaply screen for the presence of malaria parasites up to a week before any symptoms appear.

​Currently, in order to check if someone has malaria but isn't showing any symptoms yet, a blood sample has to be drawn and analyzed. Thanks to an ongoing research project, however, it may soon be possible to detect the disease on the spot within seconds – using sniffer dogs.

Numerous biomarkers are being discovered signaling the presence of different cancers, but it’s a challenge to find a single way to track all kinds of cancer. Researchers may have a solution, discovering a protein produced by malaria parasites that is perfectly engineered to detect most cancer cells.

Scientists have designed a new molecule they say could keep us ahead of the game when it come to drug-resistant malaria parasites, taking the best parts of a human protein to form a potent weapon that takes out the parasite before it gets any bright ideas.

​Diagnosing symptomatic carriers of malaria is difficult enough, needing careful examination of blood samples, but picking up asymptomatic carriers is even more challenging.​ A team set out to find a way to diagnose those asymptomatic malaria carriers and the key turned out to be in body odor.​

Caffeine may be a “catalyst” that turns us from sleepy zombies into functioning members of society, but now that may be more literal. Scientists have used caffeine to replace the metal catalysts normally used in creating polymer materials, opening the door for drug delivery via chewable gels.