New drugs, known as imidazopyrazines, block parasite development in both the bloodstream and liver stages of infection.
NIAID Grantees Identify Potential Target for Malaria Drugs NIAID-funded researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have identified a potential target for a family of new malaria drugs currently in development: PI4K, a protein that is essential throughout the malaria parasite’s life cycle. The drugs, known as imidazopyrazines, block parasite development in both the bloodstream and liver stages of infection. For more information on the study, published online in Nature , and future steps, see the NIAID media availability: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/ newsreleases/2013/Pages/ MalariaPI4K.aspx .