UP the largest producer of research in SA – Kupe iol.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iol.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
South African scientists, as part of an international research collaboration, identified chemical compounds with anti-tubercular and anti-cancer properties that can help in the fight against malaria. The compounds could halt a malaria parasite in its tracks during different stages of the parasite’s life cycle.
This discovery is significant given growing concerns about malaria drug resistance and the need for new malaria drugs.
The collaborative efforts of chemists, biologists and pharmacologists from South Africa led to this discovery, signalling new hope for eradicating malaria.
“It’s an outcome of a massive amount of teamwork and collaboration in South Africa. To be able to work together with other South African scientists of this calibre and on this level was extraordinary,” says Professor Lyn-Marie Birkholtz, head of the University of Pretoria’s Malaria Parasite Molecular Laboratory.
Local scientists, as part of an international research collaboration, identified chemical compounds with antitubercular and anti-cancer properties that can now help in the fight against malaria.
The compounds could halt a malaria parasite in its tracks during different stages of the parasite’s life cycle. This discovery is significant given growing concerns about malaria drug resistance and the need for new malaria drugs.
The collaborative efforts of chemists, biologists and pharmacologists from South Africa have led to this discovery, signalling new hope for eradicating malaria.
“It’s an outcome of a massive amount of teamwork and collaboration in South Africa. To be able to work together with other South African scientists of this calibre and on this level was extraordinary,” says Professor Lyn-Marie Birkholtz, head of the University of Pretoria’s Malaria Parasite Molecular Laboratory.
Newly discovered chemical could be a solution to malaria
By Sukaina Ishmail
Share
Cape Town - A new chemical has been discovered by a research team which could potentially eliminate malaria.
The chemical compound was discovered by researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP). South Africa is currently the leading country in finding malaria elimination solutions for the African continent.
UP Faculty of Health Sciences Dean, Tiaan de Jager, said: “Despite the current focus on Covid-19, malaria remains a global public health concern. There are numerous challenges that impact on malaria control and elimination, one of them being the increased resistance of the malaria parasite to the drugs used for the treatment.”