IVD of Plasmodium

Plasmodium

The parasitic eukaryotic animal Plasmodium, which causes malaria, has a very specific host preference. In addition to being a serious human health risk, malaria is also an important issue related to public health. Plasmodium enters the human body through the saliva of the Anopheles mosquito, reproduces asexually in human liver cells, and then invades and destroys red blood cells. The development of Plasmodium in the human body is divided into extraerythrocytic and intraerythrocytic stages. Infected patients eventually develop clinical symptoms such as chills, trembling, and sweating.

Plasmodium Life Cycle.Figure 1. Plasmodium Life Cycle. (Chahine Z, et al., 2022)

Main Steps of IVD for Plasmodium

  • Antibody testing. It mainly includes indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA), indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
  • Serological testing. Specific antigens are detected by utilizing radioimmunoassay, inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and rapid immunochromatographic test card (ICT).
  • Molecular biology technology. PCR and nucleic acid probes have higher detection rates for hypoprotozoaemia.
  • Etiological diagnosis. Blood samples are obtained from the patient's peripheral blood and made into two types of blood films, thick and thin, and then stained and examined under a microscope.

Species of Plasmodium

Plasmodium falciparum is the most dangerous and lethal of these species.

Creative BioMart provides high-quality recombinant pan Plasmodium aldolase protein used for IVD, including ELISA, lateral flow assay, western blot, and other immunoassays.

Highlights of Our Products

  • High purity and uniformity. The protein purity is above 90% and verified by SDS-PAGE.
  • High batch-to-batch consistency and low variability.
  • Completed biological functions and efficient activity.
  • Easy to store and transport, conducive to large-scale production and use of vaccines.
  • Outstanding success rate and fast development speed.

Our Outstanding Advantages

  • IVD proteins can be used to test for a variety of diseases and conditions, making them valuable tools for diagnosing and monitoring health.
  • Guarantee high performance, high reliability, and high consistency of protein quality, leading the industry.
  • A complete IVD protein platform can provide customized services to meet different scientific research needs.
  • High-quality service, high-level experiments, and reliable analysis.

In addition, Creative BioMart also offers a series of viral proteins and protein-related services to provide customers with high-quality, low-cost active recombinant proteins to meet different needs and assist in preclinical drug development.

Applications

  • Vaccine Development: One of the most prominent applications is in the development of malaria vaccines. For instance, the RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix) malaria vaccine targets the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium falciparum. Researchers continue to explore other proteins, like AMA-1 and MSP-1, as potential vaccine candidates.
  • Diagnostic Tools: Plasmodium proteins are used in diagnostic assays for malaria. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) often detect Plasmodium antigens, such as histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP-2) from Plasmodium falciparum, to identify infections quickly and accurately.
  • Drug Development: Understanding the structure and function of Plasmodium proteins can help identify new drug targets. For example, enzymes involved in the parasite's metabolic pathways or proteins essential for its reproduction can be potential drug targets. Research into these proteins aids in the development of new antimalarial drugs.
  • Studying Host-Parasite Interactions: Researchers use Plasmodium proteins to study how the parasite interacts with the human host's immune system. This can provide insights into immune evasion mechanisms employed by the parasite and help in designing immunotherapies or interventions to boost the host's immune response against malaria.
  • Molecular Biology and Genomic Studies: Plasmodium proteins are crucial for understanding the parasite's biology and genetics. By studying these proteins, scientists can learn more about gene expression, regulation, and the overall life cycle of the parasite.
  • Biotechnology Applications: Some Plasmodium proteins have unique properties that might be useful in biotechnological applications. For example, the high binding affinity of certain Plasmodium proteins for specific substrates can be harnessed in biosensors or other diagnostic tools.
  • Evolutionary Studies: Plasmodium proteins are studied to understand the evolutionary adaptations and diversity of malaria parasites. This can provide broader insights into parasite evolution, host specificity, and pathogenicity.
  • Public Health Surveillance: Monitoring the presence and variation of Plasmodium proteins in populations can help in tracking malaria transmission dynamics and emerging drug resistance.

Case Study

Case 1: Lo CK, Plewes K, Sharma S, Low A, Su LD, Belga S, Salazar FV, Hajek J, Morshed M, Hogan CA. Plasmodium knowlesi Infection in Traveler Returning to Canada from the Philippines, 2023. Emerg Infect Dis. 2023 Oct;29(10):2177-2179. doi: 10.3201/eid2910.230809. PMID: 37735805; PMCID: PMC10521619.

A suspected diagnosis of Plasmodium knowlesi infection was confirmed by PCR, and treatment with atovaquone/proguanil brought successful recovery. The authors review the evolving epidemiology of P. knowlesi malaria in the Philippines, specifically within Palawan Island.

Fig1. Peripheral thick and thin blood smears of a man in British Columbia, Canada, with suspected Plasmodium knowlesi infection after travel to the Phillippines. A) Thick smear showing P. knowlesi gametocyte.. B) Thin smear showing band form within a normal-sized, fimbriated erythrocyte with vacuoles present, similar to P. malariae. C) Thin smear showing P. knowlesi schizont form with presence of greenish-black pigment and lack of rosette formation. Original magnification x100 for all smears.

Case 2: Zeeshan M, Rea E, Abel S, et al. Plasmodium ARK2 and EB1 drive unconventional spindle dynamics, during chromosome segregation in sexual transmission stages. Nat Commun. 2023 Sep 13;14(1):5652. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-41395-3. PMID: 37704606; PMCID: PMC10499817.

Plasmodium spp., the causative agents of malaria, are unicellular eukaryotes with three unique and highly divergent aurora-related kinases (ARK1-3) that are essential for asexual cellular proliferation but lack most canonical scaffolds/activators. Here we investigate the role of ARK2 during sexual proliferation of the rodent malaria Plasmodium berghei, using a combination of super-resolution microscopy, mass spectrometry, and live-cell fluorescence imaging. The authors find that ARK2 is primarily located at spindle microtubules in the vicinity of kinetochores during both mitosis and meiosis.

Fig3. Real-time live-cell imaging of PbARK2 reveals spindle association and kinetochore dynamics during male gametogony. The upper schematic shows the major stages of male gametogony with subcellular structures identified. A Imaging of ARK2-GFP (green) during male gametogony reveals an initial location at the putative MT organising centre (MTOC) just after activation (1 min post activation; mpa), and at the spindles and spindle poles in later stages. The protein accumulates diffusely in the residual nuclear body after gamete formation and is not present in the flagellate gametes (15 mpa). More than 50 images were analysed in more than five different experiments. Scale bar = 5 μm. B Still images (5 s intervals) showing development of an ARK2-GFP bridge from one focal point followed by further division into two halves within 1 to 2 mpa. More than ten timelapses were analysed in more than five different experiments. Scale bar = 5 μm.

Case 3: Guttery DS, Zeeshan M, Holder AA, Tewari R. The molecular mechanisms driving Plasmodium cell division. Biochem Soc Trans. 2024 Apr 24;52(2):593-602. doi: 10.1042/BST20230403. PMID: 38563493; PMCID: PMC11088906.

Malaria, a vector borne disease, is a major global health and socioeconomic problem caused by the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Plasmodium. In the canonical eukaryotic model, cell division is either by open or closed mitosis and karyokinesis is followed by cytokinesis; whereas in Plasmodium closed mitosis is not directly accompanied by concomitant cell division. Here, researchers discuss recent evidence for the function of known proteins in Plasmodium cell division and processes that are potential novel targets for therapeutic intervention. They also identify key questions to open new and exciting research to understand divergent Plasmodium cell division.

Fig4. Live-cell imaging of cell division markers during two stages of proliferation in Plasmodium. (A) Live cell imaging using NDC80-mCherry (kinetochore marker) and Centrin-4-GFP (MTOC marker) showing spatio-temporal dynamics of the kinetochore and MTOC during blood stage schizogony. (B) Live cell imaging using NDC80-mCherry (kinetochore marker) and SAS4-GFP (MTOC/basal body marker) showing spatio-temporal dynamics of the kinetochore and basal body during male gametogenesis. Scale bar = 5 µm.