Last Updated: 06/11/2023
Development of new tools for the search and validation of molecular targets for therapy against Plasmodium vivax
Objectives
*Original title in Portuguese: Desenvolvimento de novas ferramentas para busca e validação de alvos moleculares para terapia contra Plasmodium vivax
This project aims at the development of new tools for the search and validation of molecular targets for therapy against Plasmodium vivax.
Malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax is the most widely distributed form of the disease in the world. Currently, 2.5 billion people are at risk of P. vivax infection, and in 2015 there were 8.5 million cases worldwide. Brazil, together with Venezuela, is the leader in cases in the Americas, with 99.5% of these reported in the region known as the Legal Amazon and, currently, more than 85% of cases in Brazil are caused by P. vivax. This Plasmodium species has several unique biological characteristics when compared to P. falciparum, such as: exclusive preference for reticulocyte infection; production of sexual stages (gametocytes) seen in peripheral blood very early after infection; formation of hypnozoites (a latent stage that remains in the liver), which make treatment difficult.
Jan 2020
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