A scientist from the University of Nottingham has received nearly £2.5 million from the European Research Council (ERC), to continue her research into the understanding of rapid atypical cell division, which could help to control transmission of malaria.

Professor Rita Tewari from the School of Life Sciences at the University is one of only 253 leading researchers from across Europe who will receive the funding as part of the ERC’s 2021 Advanced Grants Competition.

Scientists have made a major breakthrough in understanding how the parasite that causes malaria is able to multiply at such an alarming rate, which could be a vital clue in discovering how it has evolved, and how it can be stopped.

On World Mosquito Day, Edward Rea, a research fellow working on malaria parasite cell biology and development with Professor Rita Tewari, discusses why the fight against this mosquito-borne disease is far from over.

Science initiated in Nottingham has helped to form the foundation for the latest breakthrough in the global fight against malaria.

Researchers in the University of Nottingham’s School of Life Sciences were responsible for the identification of the molecular switches that control the three key stages of the malaria parasite’s life cycle – work which has underpinned a new discovery about the way in which the growth of the parasite is controlled.

Now, a team of international scientists led by Portuguese academics has discovered that one of the proteins identified by the Nottingham experts plays a vital role in modulating the parasite’s rate of replication by sensing the nutritional status of its host.

The key to malaria's rampant growth has been explained by scientists. They say it is down to protein molecules called cyclins which cause cells to divide rapidly in the malaria parasite. The study, led by a team from the University of Nottingham, could lead to new treatments for malaria, the researchers said.

Scientists from The University of Nottingham have uncovered the role of cyclin - the protein molecule that drives the growth of malaria within mosquitoes.

The research, led by Professor Rita Tewari and Dr Bill Wickstead in the University’s School of Life Sciences and published in the scientific journal PLoS Pathogens (: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005273 ), could pave the way to better understanding of how the malaria parasite thrives within its insect and human hosts and lead to potential new treatments.

Scientists searching for new drug and vaccine targets to stop transmission of one of the world’s deadliest diseases believe they are closer than ever to disrupting the life-cycle of this highly efficient parasite.

Dr Rita Tewari in the School of Life Sciences at The University of Nottingham has completed what she describes as a ‘Herculean study’ into the roles played by the 30 protein phosphatases and 72 kinases – enzymes that act as the ‘yin and yang’ switches for proteins – as the malaria parasite develops in the body and then in the mosquito gut.

Scientists searching for new drug and vaccine targets to stop transmission of one of the world's deadliest diseases believe they are closer than ever to disrupting the life cycle of this highly efficient parasite.

The findings come from research into the roles played by protein phosphatases - enzymes that act as 'on' and 'off' switches for proteins - as the malaria parasite develops in the body and then in the mosquito gut.

Scientists have discovered how a protein within the malaria parasite is essential to its survival as it develops inside a mosquito. They believe their findings identify this protein as a potential new target for drug treatments to prevent malaria being passed to humans.

Scientists have discovered a unique enzyme that is a key player in enabling the malaria parasite to invade mosquitoes, raising hopes that the discovery could eventually lead to new strategies to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.

The work was a collaborative effort by scientists at the MRC's National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR; now part of the Francis Crick Institute) and colleagues from the Universities of Nottingham, Oxford, Edinburgh, Leicester and Imperial College London.

A consortium of chemists, structural biologists and parasitologists has discovered a series of N-myristoyl transferase inhibitors and identified the features necessary for their novel mode of binding to the enzyme. The work is published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (: 10.1021/jm300040p).

Scientists have discovered a new target in their fight against the devastating global disease ‘malaria’ thanks to the discovery of a new protein involved in the parasite’s life cycle.

The research has uncovered a vital player in the sexual phase of the malaria parasite’s reproduction which could prove an effective target for new treatments to stop the disease in its tracks.