Using Click Chemistry to Identify Potential Drug Targets in Plasmodium.

摘要

Sporozoite infection of the liver is the first obligate step of the Plasmodium mammalian cycle. Inhibiting this step can block malaria at an early step. However, few anti-malarials target liver infection by sporozoites. Our goal is to find drugs that prevent or control liver infection. Development of such drugs will be facilitated by identification of parasite proteins required for liver infection. These proteins are potential drug targets for development of therapies that restrict Plasmodium liver infection. The aim of this Discovery award is to identify Plasmodium proteins that function in sporozoite invasion of hepatocytes and subsequent intrahepatic development.