Jun 29, 2020
In her research, Dr. Caroline Ng
addresses how to effectively treat
malaria as scientists face possible drug resistance.
She explains for listeners
- The cycle and stages of malaria-causing parasites and what causes common malaria symptoms,
- Why the asexual blood stage of the parasite is especially important in understanding how to disrupt its infection, and
- What signs of resistance are scientists observing and how her research hopes to solve the issue.
Caroline L. Ng, Ph.D. is an
assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology
at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She specializes in
the pathogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum and the genetic and molecular mechanisms
underlying drug resistance.
She begins by explaining the life cycle of the parasites that cause
malaria. Plasmodium
spp. have evolved to
require two hosts in their life cycle, mosquito and animal, and she
specializes in the species that use human hosts in addition to the
mosquito. She explains how the parasites move from mosquito saliva
and make their way to the human liver. She describes their entry
into red blood cells, how they divide asexually at an exponential
rate, when they evolve into different sexes, and how a debris
release causes the common malaria symptoms of fever and
chills.
She then builds on this
explanation to describe the issues facing researches in how to
treat
malaria as symptoms of drug resistance seem to be showing up.
In particular, the parasite Plasmodium falciparum is of concern as it is the most virulent and
causes the most deaths. Artemisinin is a potent drug that's
short-lived that must be partnered with another drug to make sure
parasites are being cleared.
But scientist in Southeast Asia have seen a decrease in the ability
of this drug family to clear parasites. They worry this indicates
artemisinin resistance. If they can understand this, they can
designs drugs that synergize or identify a pathway to build up the
efficacy of this drug. Along the way, she explains mechanisms of
how these drugs work and how these poorer countries that face
malaria need inexpensive treatments.
To learn more, see her
information on her institution's web site: www.unmc.edu/pathology/faculty/bios/Ng.html
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK