Portland scientists' new malaria drug looks like a breakthrough, outside experts say

[WheelWalker]

Source: The Oregonian

The drug "has the potential to prevent transmission of the disease. It has the potential to prevent the disease altogether," says Michael Riscoe, professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at OHSU and director of the Experimental Chemotherapy Lab at the Portland VA Medical Center.

* * *

The new drug is "very promising" and the published study appears comprehensive and sophisticated, in contrast to past advances that did not pan out, said Malcolm Gardner, a professor and malaria researcher at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute who was not part of the ELQ-300 research. "Its potency seems very high."

The new compound has so far been shown to work only on mice and mosquitoes. But the mosquito part of the research could be significant – because the insect carries the malaria parasite between humans. Instead of carrier mosquitoes transmitting the disease to humans with their bites, says Riscoe, a mosquito biting a human treated with the new drug could transmit the cure to the bug, eliminating the parasite.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2013/03/portland_scientists_new_malari.html#incart_m-rpt-2

[loudsue]

1. Just think how wonderful it would be for so many hundreds of millions of people

to be rid of malaria. It is such a horrible disease.

[WheelWalker]

2. Half of all human deaths since the stone age have been attributed to malaria...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111704575354911834340450.html

[AllyCat]

3. Wow...hope this is as good as it sounds. Malaria is a horrible disease.

The treatment and prevention is hardly better.

[Permanut]

4. This really is promising..

Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) and the Portland VA Medical Center are right next door to each other, and have collaborated on significant research before, such as Brian Druker's breakthrough in Leukemia treatments. This is the real deal.

[tanyev]

5. Wonderful. Now about some new antibiotics.....

[Duer 157099]

6. "...a mosquito biting a human treated with the new drug could transmit the cure..."

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the law of unintended consequences may come knocking.