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����ֱ��Among $3.8M NIH Project Team to Develop New Malaria Drugs

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted through infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, which invade red blood cells and can lead to severe anemia, organ failure and death if untreated.

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����ֱ�� is part of a research collaboration awarded a highly competitive five-year, $3.8 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to develop a promising new class of drugs designed to combat Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest parasite responsible for malaria.

The award brings ����ֱ��together with investigators from Brown University and Florida International University, combining decades of expertise in malaria biology, medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Funding will be shared equally among the three institutions over the five-year project.

Andrew V. Oleinikov, Ph.D., professor of biomedical science in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, serves as a multi-principal investigator alongside Jake Kurtis, M.D., Ph.D., of Brown University, the corresponding principal investigator, and Adel Nefzi, Ph.D., of FIU.

Although malaria is preventable and treatable, it remains one of the world’s most significant infectious diseases. In 2023, the World Health Organization reported approximately 263 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths worldwide, with more than 90% occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Children under age 5 are especially vulnerable. The disease is caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted through infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, which invade red blood cells and can lead to severe anemia, organ failure and death if untreated. Despite decades of progress, growing drug resistance underscores the urgent need for new therapies that act through novel mechanisms.

The newly funded project is built upon years of pioneering discoveries made by the research team. At the heart of the project is the seminal discovery of PfGARP, a previously unknown protein found exclusively on the surface of red blood cells infected with P. falciparum. The discovery resulted from years of collaborative research led by Kurtis of Brown University, with Oleinikov’s laboratory playing a pivotal role. Researchers found that antibodies targeting PfGARP rapidly eliminate malaria parasites by triggering apoptosis, or programmed cell death, within 12 to 24 hours, without the assistance of other immune cells or signaling molecules. These findings identified PfGARP as an entirely new and highly promising target for antimalarial drug development.

Complementary to that discovery, Oleinikov and Nefzi developed sophisticated high-throughput screening technologies capable of evaluating millions of chemical compounds for their ability to interfere with specific protein-protein interactions. By combining these discoveries, the investigators have created an entirely new strategy for malaria drug development. Rather than targeting biological pathways already exploited by current medications, the team will identify small molecules that bind to the same region of PfGARP recognized by parasite-killing antibodies, effectively allowing the compounds to mimic the antibodies’ lethal activity.

“This award builds on decades of research to better understand how Plasmodium falciparum infects and survives within the human body,” said Oleinikov. “With previous support from Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust, which helped us to accumulate strong preliminary data, and this support from the National Institutes of Health, we can accelerate the development of an entirely new approach to antimalarial drug discovery – one designed to outpace drug resistance and ultimately improve the lives of millions of people living in regions where malaria remains a constant threat.”

Over the next five years, the research team will identify, optimize and evaluate promising new antimalarial compounds designed to target PfGARP. By advancing the strongest candidates through rigorous laboratory and preclinical testing, the project aims to lay the foundation for a new generation of therapies to combat drug-resistant malaria.

����ֱ��will play a key role in the project through Oleinikov’s laboratory, which will spearhead the identification and evaluation of promising antimalarial drug candidates using advanced high-throughput screening technologies. The laboratory’s work will help determine which compounds advance for further optimization and preclinical testing, making ����ֱ��a significant driver of the drug discovery effort.

“This NIH award reflects the scientific leadership of Dr. Oleinikov and his collaborators, as well as the strength and momentum of research at ����ֱ��’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine,” said Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., dean and chief of health affairs, Schmidt College of Medicine. “It underscores FAU’s growing role in advancing transformative biomedical discoveries and highlights the importance of continued investment in innovative approaches to some of the world’s most persistent and devastating infectious diseases.”

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AI195885. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

-FAU-

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