Molecules that target both malaria infection and transmission ... Because they are linked to a steroid, new molecules derived from ortho-aminocresols, already known for their antimalarial action, prove to be more effective in killing the parasite in the infected host, but also to block its transmission. This work, published in Nature Communications, is the result of a multidisciplinary and international collaboration led by German researchers (universities of Jena and Giessen) and French members of ParaFrap (Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet - Molecular Chemistry Laboratory, Institute of Biology Molecular and cellular CNRS with the collaboration of the laboratory of Stéphanie Blandin - Inserm "Immune response in the Anopheles mosquito vector of malaria" of Strasbourg). This work shows that for their survival, the parasites responsible for malaria and toxoplasmosis depend on mechanisms inherited from the plant world. This discovery represents a major advance in the development of new therapeutic targets against these parasites with major public health consequences.

This work has been the subject of numerous press releases, which you can find HERE.

Référence :

Arylmethylamino steroids as antiparasitic agents. Krieg, R., E. Jortzik, A. A. Goetz, S. Blandin, S. Wittlin, M. Elhabiri, M. Rahbari, S. Nuryyeva, K. Voigt, H. M. Dahse, A. Brakhage, S. Beckmann, T. Quack, C. G. Grevelding, A. B. Pinkerton, B. Schonecker, J. Burrows, E. Davioud-Charvet, S. Rahlfs and K. Becker (2017).  Nat Commun 8: 14478. Link

Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma are mandatory intracellular parasites, which represent a major threat to global health. They infect hundreds of millions people every year, leading to high mortality, especially among children. An international team coordinated by Mohamed-Ali Hakimi, a ParaFrap member at the Institute for the Advancement of Biosciences, and including researchers from EMBL-Grenoble and ANACOR pharmaceutical, has discovered a new molecule, AN3661, which stops the proliferation of parasites. The molecule allows a complete cure of mice infected with Toxoplasma. This study was published on February, 1, 2017 in EMBO Molecular Medicine journal. This work has been the subject of numerous press releases, which you can find HERE (French).

Référence :

Targeting Toxoplasma gondii CPSF3 as a new approach to control toxoplasmosis. Palencia, A., A. Bougdour, M. P. Brenier-Pinchart, B. Touquet, R. L. Bertini, C. Sensi, G. Gay, J. Vollaire, V. Josserand, E. Easom, Y. R. Freund, H. Pelloux, P. J. Rosenthal, S. Cusack and M. A. Hakimi (2017).  EMBO Mol Med [9.5]. Link

Katharina Ehrhardt, Postdoc of the first ParaFrap promotion (2014-2017), received the 2017 Special Jury Prize of the Franco-German University (UFA). This prize rewards the best research work carried out within the framework of a joint doctoral thesis and / or a Franco-German doctoral college supported by the UFA.

Dr. Katharina Ehrhardt was rewarded for her thesis "Redox-active 3-benzyl-menadiones as new antimalarial agents : studies on structure-activity relationships, antiparasitic potency and mechanism of action" carried out between the University of Strasbourg and the Ruprecht-Karls -Universität Heidelberg, under the direction of Dr. Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet, ParaFrap partner. Congratulations!

© Jacek Ruta

Dr Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet, supervisor of Ms. Ehrhardt,
Dr Katharina Ehrhardt & Ms Patricia Oster-Stierle, President of the UFA

Sources : www.dfh-ufa.org (Prizes and laureates / Award ceremony)

The Apicolipid team, ParaFrap member (Institute for Advanced Biosciences, CNRS/Inserm/ Université Grenoble Alpes), with researchers from the University of Melbourne, has just published two studies in Cell Microbiology and PLOS Pathogens. These studies show that to survive, the parasites responsible for malaria and toxoplasmosis depend on mechanisms inherited from the plant world. This discovery is a major advance for the development of new therapeutic targets for these parasites, which have such substantial public health consequences.

Find the press releases HERE.

Bibliography :

Characterization of the Plasmodium falciparum and P. berghei glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase involved in FASII fatty acid utilization in the malaria parasite apicoplast, Shears MJ, MacRae JI, Mollard V, Goodman CD, Sturm A, Orchard LM, Llinás M, McConville MJ, Botté CY*, McFadden GI*. Cell Microbiology, 20 juin 2016. Link

Apicoplast-localized lysophosphatidic acid precursor assembly is required for bulk phospholipid synthesis in Toxoplasma gondii and relies on an algal/plant-like glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase, Amiar S, MacRae JI, Callahan DL, van Dooren GG, Shears MJ, Dubois D, Cesbron-Delauw MF, Maréchal E, McConville MJ, McFadden GI, Yamaryo-Botté Y*, Botté CY*. PLOS Pathogens, 4 août 2016. Link