Download PRESS RELEASE Glowing parasites and barcoded

 PRESS RELEASE
11 december 2014, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Glowing parasites and barcoded bloodmeals help in the battle
against malaria
TropIQ receives 1 million USD from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop
ground-breaking idea
The Dutch biotech company TropIQ Health Sciences receives 1 million USD from the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a method for identification of a novel type of
malaria dug. TropIQ uses glowing parasites and barcoded mosquito meals to accelerate
the discovery of novel medicines. This innovative approach is unique in the world. With
this new method, the Dutch start-up responded to a call from the foundation for
innovative research ideas.
TropIQ Health Sciences exploits an industrial drug discovery platform for discovery of a
novel type of malaria drug. CEO Koen Dechering: “we test whether compounds block
development of parasites in the mosquito midgut. That will stop transmission of malaria
through the mosquito. Such compounds are a prerequisite for elimination of malaria.”
Current methods for identification of such molecules are very labour intensive and
impede the development of a novel medicine. TropIQ will solve this issue by
implementing an innovative screening approach.
Barcoded bloodmeals and quenched light
TropIQ will accelerate the discovery of novel drugs by feeding mosquitoes on a blood
meal that contains light-emitting malaria parasites. In addition, they will add a test
compound and a unique molecular barcode to each bloodmeal. The barcode is carried
by a bacterium that colonizes the mosquito midgut. A compound that blocks parasite
development will shut off the light in the mosquito midgut. The barcode then allows a
rapid identification of the active compound. This compound is a potential new drug.
Dechering: “This innovation allows us to test larger sets of compounds. That increases
the chance that we will find a novel transmission-blocking drug. The support from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is instrumental in further development of this exciting
technology.”
Notes for the editorial office
TropIQ Health Sciences is a spin-off of the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. It
offers a technology platform for research on novel malaria interventions and works with pharmaceutical
industries and research institutes across the globe.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, based in Seattle, invests in innovative research to improve the health of
people most in need.
For further information:
Koen Dechering
[email protected]
tel. 06-51483935
www.tropIQ.nl