ILS-Bhubaneswar Discovers Therapeutic Interventions To Prevent Malaria Mortality; Human Trials Soon

Bhubaneswar: Scientists at the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) in Odisha capital have discovered therapeutic interventions to prevent cerebral and severe malaria mortality.

The group led by Dr Viswanathan Arun Nagaraj claim to have achieved this through the use of griseofulvin, an antifungal drug, with the existing frontline artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), which is recommended for the treatment of plasmodium falciparum malaria. “We have discovered a novel role for parasite heme in disease severity. Parasites lacking the ability to make heme generate less hemozoin, and do not cause cerebral and severe malaria in animals,” a scientist was quoted as saying by TNIE.

The scientist found that cerebral and severe malaria could be prevented by targeting parasite heme with griseofulvin, a less-expensive and safe drug widely used to treat fungal infections in children and adults. “Repurposing griseofulvin as an adjunct drug for malaria along with the existing ACT would help prevent malaria mortality,” they added.

While the study has been published in international peer-reviewed research journal Nature, the ILS has filed Indian and international patents and is planning to perform clinical trials in malaria-infected humans having attained success with mice models.

About 241 million cases of malaria and 6,27,000 deaths were reported globally in 2022 against 6,19,000 in 2021 and 6,25,000 in 2020. A total of 568,000 deaths were reported in 2019. India has a vision of a malaria-free country by 2027 and elimination by 2030. National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control is the nodal centre for implementing programmes for malaria elimination.