Australian scientists have identified a potential treatment to combat malaria. Researchers in Melbourne believe their discovery could be a major breakthrough in the fight against the disease. The malaria parasite produces a glue-like substance which makes the cells it infects sticky, so they cannot be flushed through the body. The researchers have shown removing a protein responsible for the glue can destroy its stickiness, and undermine the parasite's defence. The malaria parasite - Plasmodium falciparum - effectively hijacks the red blood cells it invades, changing their shape and physical properties dramatically.

The ability of bacterial proteins to promote adhesion to biological surfaces is a fundamental step in bacterial infections. Some bacterial adhesins belong to the family of autotransporters, which are secreted to the surface of Gram-negative bacteria by an elegantly simple mechanism. This review will summarize their functional and structural features.

alternate model to van der waals

alternate model to van der waals

seminal paper