Article
Infectious Diseases
Shaoqin Zheng, Yuan Liang, Zhaojia Wang, Min Liu, Yingyi Chen, Ying Ai, Wenfeng Guo, Guoming Li, Yueming Yuan, Zhiyong Xu, Wanting Wu, Xinan Huang, Zhibing Wu, Qin Xu, Jianping Song, Changsheng Deng
Summary: Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are first-line antimalarial drugs. However, the emergence of resistance to ACTs in Plasmodium falciparum is a concern. This study successfully produced artemisinin-and piperaquine-resistant P. berghei K173 strains and explored the relationship between PfK13 and artemisinin resistance through DNA sequencing.
INFECTION AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jerome Dormoi, Remy Amalvict, Mathieu Gendrot, Bruno Pradines
Summary: The untreated malaria can quickly progress to severe forms, and drug resistance poses a threat to malaria protection efforts worldwide. Therefore, the development of new chemotherapy is necessary. This study contributes new data on the use of methylene blue (MB) in combination with common antimalarial drugs for the treatment of malaria and cerebral malaria. The results show that the combination of MB and AQ is a good candidate for preventing cerebral malaria.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sampada S. Sawant, Satish Y. Gabhe, Kamalinder K. Singh
Summary: Malaria remains a serious health problem in tropical and subtropical regions, and there is an urgent need for new antimalarial drugs. A systematic investigation on the seeds of A. squamosa revealed that the oily fraction Annomaal has significant antimalarial activity both in vitro and in vivo, with a shorter treatment schedule compared to synthetic drugs. Further studies are needed to identify the active compounds in Annomaal responsible for its antimalarial properties.
Article
Plant Sciences
Stephenie C. Alaribe, Akolade R. Oladipupo, Goodness C. Uche, Maryan U. Onumba, Duncan Ota, Olufunsho Awodele, Wellington A. Oyibo
Summary: The study evaluated the antimalarial activity of a polyherbal mixture and its constituent plants, showing significant antiplasmodial effects in various assays. While the herbal mixtures demonstrated parasite suppression and prophylaxis comparable to positive controls, they had lower parasite clearance rates. The combination of herbal plants may produce synergistic or additive effects against malaria, suggesting their use as traditional remedies warrant further investigation for clinical usefulness.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Christopher M. Woodley, Patricia S. M. Amado, Maria L. S. Cristiano, Paul M. O'Neill
Summary: Recent research has highlighted the need for fully synthetic endoperoxide-based antimalarials due to the rise of resistance to artemisinin in Southeast Asia and the synthetic limitations of the artemisinin scaffold. Various synthetic endoperoxide antimalarials utilizing different endoperoxide warheads have been explored, with two classes - 1,2,4-trioxolanes and 1,2,4,5-tetraoxanes - showing promise and still actively being developed.
MEDICINAL RESEARCH REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Fidelia Ijeoma Uche, Xiaozhen Guo, Jude Okokon, Imran Ullah, Paul Horrocks, Joshua Boateng, Chenggang Huang, Wen-Wu Li
Summary: This study investigates the in vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial activities of BBIQ alkaloids and their analogues, showing promising results with significant anti-parasitic effects at low concentrations. Cycleanine and its semisynthetic analogues demonstrate improved potency and selectivity, with potential as leads for further drug development.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Johnson Adejoh, Bassey A. Inyang, Maxwell O. Egua, Kenneth C. Nwachukwu, Lukman A. Alli, Michael P. Okoh
Summary: The study evaluated the anti-plasmodial activity of the ethanol extract of the strain against Plasmodium berghei-infected mice, demonstrating its potential as an anti-malarial agent.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Nanang Rudianto Ariefta, Baldorj Pagmadulam, Coh-ichi Nihei, Yoshifumi Nishikawa
Summary: This study evaluated the growth-inhibitory effects of the antimalarial agent sparsomycin against drug-resistant malaria parasites. The results showed that sparsomycin had inhibitory effects on both sensitive and resistant strains of the parasites. This study suggests that sparsomycin has potential as an alternative treatment for malaria.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laughing Bear Torrez Dulgeroff, Miranda S. Oakley, Michal C. Tal, Ying Ying Yiu, Joy Q. He, Maia Shoham, Victoria Majam, Winter A. Okoth, Pallavi Malla, Sanjai Kumar, Irving L. Weissman
Summary: CD47 is an antiphagocytic signal that inhibits programmed cell removal of self. Blocking CD47 can significantly improve the therapeutic effect against malaria infection.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Emmanuel O. Adeyoju, Clement O. Ajayi, Awodayo O. Adepiti, Anthony A. Elujoba
Summary: This study compared the antimalarial activity of methanol and water extracts of MAMA Powder against Plasmodium berghei-infected mice, finding that the water extract exhibited higher efficacy and can be optimized for chloroquine-resistant malaria, aiding in the production of various dosage forms.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Chaiyaporn Chaisatit, Piyaporn Sai-ngam, Sasikanya Thaloengsok, Sabaithip Sriwichai, Krisada Jongsakul, Mark Fukuda, Michele Spring, Mariusz Wojnarski, Norman Waters, Paphavee Lertsethtakarn, Brian A. Vesely
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence of Kelch 13 mutations and pfmdr1 copy number in samples collected from different regions in Thailand from 2002 to 2007. The results showed variations in mutation prevalence among different regions, providing important background information for future surveillance efforts in the area.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Chukwuebuka Emmanuel Umeyor, Ifunanya Okoye, Emmanuel Uronnachi, Tochukwu Okeke, Franklin Kenechukwu, Anthony Attama
Summary: The study evaluated the potential of miconazole (MNZ) as an alternative antimalarial agent by embedding MNZ in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). The MNZ-loaded NLC showed a controlled release effect with high encapsulation efficiency and demonstrated good in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activities. Stability testing indicated that MNZ could be repurposed as an effective alternative for the treatment of malaria.
JOURNAL OF DRUG DELIVERY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Xitong Jia, Fei Liu, Jie Bai, Yongzhe Zhang, Liwang Cui, Yaming Cao, Enjie Luo
Summary: This study assessed the activity of a panel of phosphatase inhibitors against the sexual development of Plasmodium berghei and found that two compounds showed significant transmission-blocking activity. This suggests that phosphatases are valid targets for the development of antimalarial drugs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Yawei Du, Carlo Giannangelo, Wei He, Gerald J. Shami, Wenya Zhou, Tuo Yang, Darren J. Creek, Con Dogovski, Xinsong Li, Leann Tilley
Summary: This study introduces a liposome-like prodrug as a treatment for artemisinin-resistant malaria. The results show that this multilamellar liposome-like assembly can sustainably release the drug and enhance the efficacy against resistant parasites in vitro. Analysis of parasite proteostasis pathways reveals the mechanism of action of this liposome-like assembly.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Sompob Saralamba, Julie A. Simpson, Noppon Choosri, Lisa White, Wirichada Pan-Ngum, Arjen M. Dondorp, Nicholas J. White
Summary: A new pharmacodynamic model of antimalarial drugs is proposed, which includes reversible parasite injury and temporary drug refractoriness, to explain the failure of frequent dosing to improve therapeutic efficacy in malaria. The model predicts and supports observed therapeutic responses.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rishi R. Goel, Mark M. Painter, Kendall A. Lundgreen, Sokratis A. Apostolidis, Amy E. Baxter, Josephine R. Giles, Divij Mathew, Ajinkya Pattekar, Arnold Reynaldi, David S. Khoury, Sigrid Gouma, Philip Hicks, Sarah Dysinger, Amanda Hicks, Harsh Sharma, Sarah Herring, Scott Korte, Wumesh Kc, Derek A. Oldridge, Rachel Erickson, Madison E. Weirick, Christopher M. McAllister, Moses Awofolaju, Nicole Tanenbaum, Jeanette Dougherty, Sherea Long, Kurt D'Andrea, Jacob T. Hamilton, Maura McLaughlin, Justine C. Williams, Sharon Adamski, Oliva Kuthuru, Elizabeth M. Drapeau, Miles P. Davenport, Scott E. Hensley, Paul Bates, Allison R. Greenplate, E. John Wherry
Summary: This study examined the antibody and memory B cell responses after 2-dose mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 for a period of 9-10 months, as well as 3 months after a third dose. The results showed that antibody decay stabilized between 6 and 9 months, and the quality of antibodies continued to improve for at least 9 months after the second dose. The study also found that Spike and RBD-specific memory B cells remained durable over time, and a significant portion of RBD-specific memory B cells could bind to multiple variants. Omicron-binding memory B cells were efficiently activated by a third dose of the wild-type vaccine, leading to an increase in neutralizing antibody titers.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Jessica G. Borger, Ashraful Haque
IMMUNOLOGY AND CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Eva Stadler, Deborah Cromer, Samson Ogunlade, Aissata Ongoiba, Safiatou Doumbo, Kassoum Kayentao, Boubacar Traore, Peter D. D. Crompton, Silvia Portugal, Miles P. P. Davenport, David S. S. Khoury
Summary: In malaria endemic regions, dry season carriers play a crucial role in the subsequent transmission season by "seeding" infection. Older, more exposed, and more immune children are more likely to be carriers, and they could act as super-spreaders, contributing to the fast spread of parasites at the beginning of the next transmission season.
Article
Hematology
Benjamin J. Stewart, Martin Fergie, Matthew D. Young, Claire Jones, Ashwin Sachdeva, Alex Blain, Chris M. Bacon, Vikki Rand, John R. Ferdinand, Kylie R. James, Krishnaa T. Mahbubani, Liz Hook, Nicolaas Jonas, Nicholas Coleman, Kourosh Saeb-Parsy, Matthew Collin, Menna R. Clatworthy, Sam Behjati, Christopher D. Carey
Summary: Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) has a rich immune infiltrate and malignant Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells create an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Mononuclear phagocytes (MNPs) in the vicinity of HRSCs express similar regulatory mechanisms and are associated with inferior patient outcomes. MNPs in cHL comprise multiple subsets of monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells, and express immunoregulatory checkpoints at the same level as macrophages.
Article
Immunology
Marios Koutsakos, Arnold Reynaldi, Wen Shi Lee, Julie Nguyen, Thakshila Amarasena, George Taiaroa, Paul Kinsella, Kwee Chin Liew, Thomas Tran, Helen E. Kent, Hyon-Xhi Tan, Louise C. Rowntree, Thi H. O. Nguyen, Paul G. Thomas, Katherine Kedzierska, Jan Petersen, Jamie Rossjohn, Deborah A. Williamson, David Khoury, Miles P. Davenport, Stephen J. Kent, Adam K. Wheatley, Jennifer A. Juno
Summary: By analyzing the cellular immune response in previously vaccinated individuals infected with Delta or Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, researchers found that spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cells were rapidly activated and contributed to the control of viral replication.
Article
Immunology
Wuji Zhang, Lukasz Kedzierski, Brendon Y. Chua, Mark Mayo, Claire Lonzi, Vanessa Rigas, Bianca F. Middleton, Hayley A. McQuilten, Louise C. Rowntree, Lilith F. Allen, Ruth A. Purcell, Hyon-Xhi Tan, Jan Petersen, Priyanka Chaurasia, Francesca Mordant, Mikhail V. Pogorelyy, Anastasia A. Minervina, Jeremy Chase Crawford, Griffith B. Perkins, Eva Zhang, Stephanie Gras, E. Bridie Clemens, Jennifer A. Juno, Jennifer Audsley, David S. Khoury, Natasha E. Holmes, Irani Thevarajan, Kanta Subbarao, Florian Krammer, Allen C. Cheng, Miles P. Davenport, Branka Grubor-Bauk, P. Toby Coates, Britt Christensen, Paul G. Thomas, Adam K. Wheatley, Stephen J. Kent, Jamie Rossjohn, Amy W. Chung, John Boffa, Adrian Miller, Sarah Lynar, Jane Nelson, Thi H. O. Nguyen, Jane Davies, Katherine Kedzierska
Summary: Kedzierska et al. found that there is an association between low production of receptor-binding domain (RBD) antibodies after mRNA vaccination and altered glycosylation of IgG before vaccination in people with comorbidities. This condition disproportionately affects Australia's First Nations peoples due to their high burden of comorbidities. The study also showed that Indigenous people, including Australian First Nations peoples, have effective immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
David S. Khoury, Steffen S. Docken, Kanta Subbarao, Stephen J. Kent, Miles P. Davenport, Deborah Cromer
Summary: Booster vaccination is necessary to combat waning immunity and variants of SARS-CoV-2. Data on neutralization titers from multiple sources suggest that using ancestral vaccines can enhance protection against symptomatic and severe disease caused by variant viruses. Variant-modified vaccines may provide additional benefits. This study provides evidence-based guidance for future COVID-19 vaccine regimens.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Matthias Zilbauer, Kylie James, Mandeep Kaur, Sebastian Pott, Zhixin Li, Albert Burger, Jay L. Thiagarajah, Joseph Burclaff, Frode L. Jahnsen, Francesca Perrone, Alexander D. Ross, Gianluca Matteoli, Nathalie Stakenborg, Tomohisa Sujino, Andreas Moor, Raquel Bartolome-Casado, Espen S. Baekkevold, Ran S. Zhou, Bingqing Xie, Ken T. Lau, Shahida Din, Scott T. Magness, Qiuming Yao, Semir Beyaz, Mark Arends, Alexandre Denadai-Souza, Lori A. Coburn, Jellert T. Gaublomme, Richard Baldock, Irene Papatheodorou, Jose Ordovas-Montanes, Guy Boeckxstaens, Anna Hupalowska, Sarah A. Teichmann, Aviv Regev, Ramnik J. Xavier, Alison Simmons, Michael P. Snyder, Keith T. Wilson
Summary: The number of single-cell profiling studies in the human gastrointestinal tract has significantly increased, presenting an opportunity to generate the first Human Gut Cell Atlas (HGCA). However, there are still major challenges that need to be addressed, including the need for structured and coordinated efforts globally. This Roadmap provides a comprehensive direction and overview of the challenges, as well as recommendations for future studies and the integration of the healthy gut atlas with diseases and gut organoids.
NATURE REVIEWS GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Deborah Cromer, Megan Steain, Arnold Reynaldi, Timothy E. Schlub, Shanchita R. Khan, Sarah C. Sasson, Stephen J. Kent, David S. Khoury, Miles P. Davenport
Summary: The study demonstrates a strong correlation between neutralising antibody titres and vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic and severe COVID-19. Predicted neutralising antibody titres are strongly correlated with observed vaccine effectiveness, and the loss of neutralising antibodies over time and to new variants is predictive of observed vaccine protection against severe COVID-19.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Sophia Hawas, Dimitrios Vagenas, Ashraful Haque, Makrina Totsika
Summary: This study directly observed host adaptive immune responses in bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs), and found that UTIs triggered increases in myeloid cells in the bladder and developed B cell immune responses in lymph nodes, which could potentially serve to control the infection.
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Chelsea L. Edwards, Susanna S. Ng, Fabian de Labastida Rivera, Dillon Corvino, Jessica A. Engel, Marcela Montes de Oca, Luzia Bukali, Teija C. M. Frame, Patrick T. Bunn, Shashi Bhushan Chauhan, Siddharth Sankar Singh, Yulin Wang, Jinrui Na, Fiona H. Amante, Jessica R. Loughland, Megan S. F. Soon, Nicola Waddell, Pamela Mukhopadhay, Lambros T. Koufariotis, Rebecca L. Johnston, Jason S. Lee, Rachel Kuns, Ping Zhang, Michelle J. Boyle, Geoffrey R. Hill, James S. McCarthy, Rajiv Kumar, Christian R. Engwerda
Summary: Control of malaria requires Th1 cells with IL-10 to mitigate inflammation, but IL-10+Tr1 cells can also promote parasite persistence or impair immunity. Molecular and phenotypic signatures distinguish IL-10-Th1 cells from IL-10+Tr1 cells in malaria-infected individuals and mice, and a conserved Tr1 cell signature is found in patients with malaria, dengue, and graft-versus-host disease.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2023)
Article
Immunology
David S. Khoury, Timothy E. Schlub, Deborah Cromer, Megan Steain, Youyi Fong, Peter B. Gilbert, Kanta Subbarao, James A. Triccas, Stephen J. Kent, Miles P. Davenport
Summary: Multiple studies have demonstrated a correlation between neutralizing antibody levels and protection from COVID-19, estimating the relationship between the two. However, estimates of the required level of neutralizing antibodies for protection vary across these studies. By normalizing antibody titers, it has been found that there is a consistent relationship between antibody levels and protection from COVID-19. This finding is crucial for future vaccine planning, assessing population immunity, and mitigating the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Yulin Wang, Fabian De Labastida Rivera, Chelsea L. Edwards, Teija C. M. Frame, Jessica A. Engel, Luzia Bukali, Jinrui Na, Susanna S. Ng, Dillon Corvino, Marcela Montes de Oca, Patrick T. Bunn, Megan S. F. Soon, Dean Andrew, Jessica R. Loughland, Jia Zhang, Fiona H. Amante, Bridget E. Barber, James S. Mccarthy, J. Alejandro Lopez, Michelle J. Boyle, Christian R. Engwerda
Summary: The development of highly effective malaria vaccines and improvement of drug-treatment protocols are important for malaria elimination. However, the establishment of parasite-specific immune regulatory networks hinder these efforts. This study identified STING as a critical mediator of type I interferon production by CD4+ T cells during malaria infection, leading to the development of specific CD4+ T cells.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2023)