Global health R&D at work in Montana
A research team at Montana State University has discovered that the gene activity of the malaria parasite is governed by its own internal clock and does not rely on cues from its human host. It is a finding that could unlock new ways to fight this deadly disease that sickens nearly 250 million people and kills over a half million globally each year. When a person is infected with malaria, the parasites in their body attack, multiply, and burst in a rhythmic, regularized pattern, causing the disease’s telltale cycle of fevers and chills. Since this pattern is controlled by genes within the parasite that act as a timekeeping mechanism, the long-term goal of the research is to find ways to disrupt or disable these “clock genes,” helping the immune system better fight off its parasitic invaders.