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Media Release Embargoed until Thursday 18 June 2009 An Achilles heel in malaria offers new therapy hope Melbourne scientists have identified a chink in the life cycle of malaria that offers hope for the development of new treatment options for this devastating disease. The malaria parasite grows inside red blood cells but to survive and cause illness it must transport hundreds of different proteins to the outside. While these proteins have many different functions that are crucial to parasite growth and survival, a common feature is that they must all pass through the same pore in the surrounding membrane. Melbourne scientists have now discovered the identity of this protein pore. The main significance of this finding, announced today in the leading scientific journal Nature, is its implication for a new anti-malarial therapy. The research has been undertaken in a collaboration that includes two of Australia’s leading medical research institutes, The Burnet Institute and The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research and Deakin University’s new Medical School. Dr Tania de Koning-Ward, the lead author of the study, said the discovery opened up a new way to combat this disease. “The next step is to identify drugs that block this protein channel. Since it is completely unique to malaria parasites this is a realistic possibility”, she said. Professor Brendan Crabb, coordinator of the project, said the discovery is a breakthrough. “Protein export machines are of great interest in biology but because of the enormous scale of the malaria problem this one also has practical health value. Therapies that block this pore interfere with many different crucial processes in the one hit and in that sense it is an Achilles heel of the malaria parasite.” Malaria is spread via mosquitoes and its most lethal form is caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. There are in excess of 400 million cases of malaria each year with more than one million people, mainly children, dying from the disease. New therapies are urgently needed to combat ever-increasing resistance to the available drugs. *** ends *** More Information About Burnet Institute The Burnet Institute is Australia’s leading medical research and public health institute specialising in infectious diseases immunology and cancer. The Institute’s mission is to reduce the impact of infectious diseases by translating medical research into tangible public health outcomes. Burnet has more than 350 scientific researchers and public health professionals and has specifically chosen to focus its efforts on finding solutions to those infectious diseases that have the greatest impact on humankind today. Burnet has public health programs in Australia and in many resource-poor countries of the Asia Pacific region, as well as in Africa. The Institute plays a critical role in preventing the spread of and reducing the impact of infectious diseases in these countries. For further information about the Burnet Institute www.burnet.edu.au About Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research is one of the world’s leading biomedical research centres. Established in 1915 as a benevolence of the Walter and Eliza Hall Trust, today the Institute comprises over 600 staff dedicated to the ‘mastery of disease through discovery’. Located in Parkville, near Melbourne’s CBD, the Institute is an independent not-for-profit company affiliated with The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital. Its state-of-the art facilities and cutting-edge research training has benefited scientists, clinicians, post-doctoral fellows and post-graduate students from around Australia and across the world. The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s world-renowned scientific teams are focused on four big global medical challenges: cancer – leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer, multiple myeloma; immunity – immune regulation, vaccines, immunotherapy, inflammation; autoimmunity – diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease; and infectious diseases – malaria, leishmaniasis, chronic virus infections. The Institute’s vision is to translate discoveries made at the laboratory bench into improved outcomes for patients and more effective preventative strategies. In order to realise this goal, institute scientists engage not only in discovery research but also in clinical and commercial partnerships. A major building project currently underway will double the Institute’s physical footprint and provide great opportunities for Australia’s next generation of biomedical researchers. About Deakin University Deakin University seeks to be recognised as Australia’s most progressive university. It aims to do this by ensuring that all of its activities are relevant, innovative and responsive. Deakin has campuses in Melbourne, Geelong and Warrnambool. The Deakin Medical School is Victoria's first rural and regional medical school. The goal of the medical program is to contribute to the improvement of the health and wellbeing of Australians by creating a cohort of new doctors who are skilled and motivated to pursue a career in medicine in rural and regional areas either as specialists or general practitioners. Media Enquiries: Tracy Routledge, Senior Public Affairs Officer, Burnet Institute PH: (03) 9282 2240 or 0412 223 221 E: [email protected]