Engineered tools for studying the malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum

Abstract

New techniques to both prevent and treat the disease malaria are necessary. To develop these novel strategies, innovative tools must be designed to study the basic biology within Plasmodium falciparum and characteristics of the pathological relationship between host and parasite. These tools will be diverse in nature, yet all seek to address the same fundamental question: what are the characteristics of the parasite that can be exploited to decrease the burden this parasite places on the human species? First, the relationship between nitric oxide and the parasite-infected red blood cell will be measured using a microfluidic device. Second, a toolkit to determine the essentiality of genes of unknown function will be engineered and tested with three separate genes to improve and demonstrate usability. Third, a mutator strain will be engineered and defined for eventual use in the study of drug resistance and the characterization of the resistance potential of anti-malarial drugs.