K+ Channel Blockers for Malaria Control

Lourival Possani of the Institute of Biotechnology at the National University of Mexico will investigate the antimalarial effects of scorpine, a newly identified peptide found in the venom of scorpions. The team will test scorpine's efficacy in blocking K+ channels used by malaria parasites to replicate in mosquitoes. Creating a new generation of malaria-resistant mosquitoes can aid in the eradication of the disease in humans.