15 April, 2018
As one of the world’s deadliest pathogens, Plasmodium spreads relentlessly from host to host. But a computer model created by KAUST scientists may reveal and help exploit the parasite’s unknown weaknesses to uncover new options for treating malaria.
The Plasmodium parasite needs both a mosquito and vertebrate host to reproduce and complete its life cycle. Through what would otherwise be harmless insect bites, Plasmodium rapidly multiplies and spreads from mosquitoes to human hosts, where it causes malaria and kills nearly half a million people worldwide each year.