Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi say they have discovered a weakness in malaria parasites that could prove vital to future treatment of the disease.
A study by scientists at the university suggests the malaria parasite relies on a specific type of fat to survive and multiply within a human host, revealing a previously unknown vulnerability.
Instead of broadly consuming nutrients from its host, the parasite appears to rely on a particular source of nourishment. This limitation could now be targeted by medicine, the study suggests.
Researchers analysed blood samples from 396 children in Burkina Faso with malaria as part of their quest to better understand the disease.
“Malaria continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives every year, yet we still have much to learn about how the parasite survives inside the human body,” said Youssef Idaghdour, associate professor of biology at NYUAD and lead author of the study.
“We found that the parasite is surprisingly selective about the nutrients it uses. That gives us an opportunity to target a weakness that was previously unknown and could eventually lead to new ways of treating the disease.”
What is Malaria?
The disease is caused by a single-cell parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, and is transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes.
When an infected mosquito injects a person with anticoagulant saliva, to stop their blood from clotting, a form of the parasite known as a sporozoite is transmitted into the bloodstream.
Sporozoites travel to the liver, where they multiply, before entering red blood cells and replicating further, releasing another form of the parasite. Disease symptoms are caused by the parasite’s effects on these red blood cells.
Mosquitoes are infected with Plasmodium falciparum when they feed on the blood of infected people, and the cycle continues.
Hundreds of millions affected
The team confirmed the parasite's dependence on the fats through laboratory experiments, strengthening the evidence that they play an essential role in its growth.
There were 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths across 80 countries in 2024, the World Health Organisation estimates.
Africa carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden, the WHO report said. In 2024, about 95 per cent of all malaria cases and deaths took place in the continent. Children under five accounted for 76 per cent of deaths in Africa.
Infants, pregnant women and people with HIV or Aids are at higher risk of falling severely ill or dying from malaria.
By conducting the study on three genetically and culturally different ethnic groups, the scientists believe it shows the parasite's survival strategy is a fundamental feature of malaria infection.
“Our goal is to better understand the biology of malaria so we can identify new opportunities for therapeutic intervention,” said Prof Idaghdour. “Studies like this help reveal how the parasite survives inside the human body and provide a foundation for developing more effective antimalarial strategies.”
UAE's mission to tackle malaria
The UAE has played a key role for a number of years in supporting international efforts to advance treatment for malaria under a long-term mission to eliminate the disease.
In 2023, the Emirates provided a $5 million donation to a global campaign aimed at addressing the impact of climate change on efforts to eradicate malaria.
The Reaching the Last Mile initiative — a 10-year, $100 million fund launched by President Sheikh Mohamed in 2017 with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to combat the world's deadliest diseases — delivered the key investment.
The financial assistance allowed for the expansion of the Forecasting Healthy Futures scheme, led by the US-based Malaria No More non-profit organisation.
Forecasting Healthy Futures is working to reduce the effects on climate change on disease prevention by developing cutting-edge prediction and planning tools and helping governments shape and introduce treatment and prevention programmes.
The UAE is one of the leading supporters of a WHO strategy to reduce incidences of malaria around the world by at least 90 per cent by 2030.
