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.

Research is published today, Wednesday July 9 2014, in the academic journal Cell Host and Microbe (: 10.1016/j.chom.2014.05.020 ), describes the work that has just been completed into the role of protein phosphatases.

Links: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2014/july/the-yin-and-yang-of-malaria-parasite-development.aspx and www.mrc.ac.uk/news/browse/the-yin-and-yang-of-malaria-parasite-development/