Malaria monoclonals block brain binding

Stephen J Rogerson; Isobel S Walker; Elizabeth H Aitken

doi:10.1016/j.pt.2024.12.010

Malaria monoclonals block brain binding

Trends Parasitol. 2025 Jan 3:S1471-4922(24)00372-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.12.010. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Stephen J Rogerson¹, Isobel S Walker², Elizabeth H Aitken³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne 3000, Australia. Electronic address: sroger@unimelb.edu.au.
² Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne 3000, Australia.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne 3000, Australia; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne 3000, Australia.

PMID: 39755505
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.12.010

Abstract

In Plasmodium falciparum malaria, infected cells accumulate in blood vessels of organs, including the brain. Recently, Reyes et al. identified monoclonal antibodies that stop infected cells from binding to the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) in a model of brain blood vessels. EPCR-blocking monoclonals could form the basis of new treatments for severe malaria.

Keywords: P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1; Plasmodium falciparum; cerebral malaria; endothelial protein C receptor; monoclonal antibody.