A new study by a UT research team may provide a better way in the fight against malaria. In a study published in the scientific journal ACS Infectious Diseases, researchers fight malaria and mosquitoes at one point in their lives. “It’s a unique approach: previous research has focused on treatment in humans.”
Influenza is a major global health problem. The disease is difficult to treat, in part because the bacteria that infect it slowly develop drug resistance. Malaria goes through many life cycles, both in humans and in mosquitoes. Traditional medicine focuses on controlling parasites in humans. But such a medical examination takes a long time and must have strict requirements to ensure the safety of the patient. Researchers are also trying to use insecticides to fight mosquitoes, but this leads to mosquito resistance.
MOSQUITO LIKE PEOPLE
Therefore, researchers from research institutions such as TechMed Center and MESA + focus on the treatment of mosquitoes. “Basically, we treat the mosquito as a patient and try to treat it by attacking the parasite while it is in the ‘hookinete’ stage,” explains author Dr Naomi Hamelmann. At this time, the parasite is a small mobile worm, of which there are about ten to fifteen in a mosquito. “This basically means that malaria is easier to fight at this time than in different types of people, when there can be tens of thousands in the whole body.”
NANOPARTICLES
For the treatment, the researchers created nanoparticles that each consist of a single polymer chain that they can bind to drugs. “We use one polymer per nanoparticle, which is self-assembled, so that the next generation of the material can be made smaller and more efficient. One each part is exactly equal,” explains collaborator Professor Jos Paulusse. Find the parasite
In their research, scientists show that it is possible to use nanoparticles to attack the virus directly. “By allowing the nanoparticles to transmit light, we can show under the microscope that the nanoparticles find the parasite and enter it,” Paulusse said. Now that nanoparticles can effectively detect the virus, the next step is to find a good substance that can kill the virus and mosquitoes.
