Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute

A recent breakthrough sheds light on how the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, invades human red blood cells. The study reveals the role of a sugar called sialic acid in this invasion process. The findings have major implications for malaria vaccine and drug development. A recent breakthrough sheds light on how the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, invades human red blood cells. The study, led by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics, reveals the role of a sugar called sialic acid in this invasion process. The findings, published yesterday in Cell Reports, have major implications for malaria vaccine and drug development. With 249 million cases of malaria and 608,000 deaths in 2022, malaria has remained an intractable global health threat. The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is the leading cause of severe malariaand is responsible for the largest portion of malaria deaths. All clinical symptoms of malaria are caused by the multiplication of malaria parasites in the red blood cells. Key component found for malaria invasion P. falciparum is known to invade human red blood cells, but the precise details of the targets that the parasite binds to has not been known to date. Although we know that the malaria protein, cystein-rich protective antigen (CyRPA), is essential for the invasion of red blood cells, its precise role in this process was not understood. A multidisciplinary, collaborative research team from six institutions, led by investigators at Swiss TPH in Switzerland and Institute for Glycomics in Australia examined the binding properties of CyPRA. The researchers discovered that a sugar called sialic acid is a key component of the red blood cell surface that is recognized by the malaria parasite, and which is essential for the invasion process. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports. "We are now demonstrating that P. falciparum CyRPA binds to a specific carbohydrate structure (glycan) present on the red blood cell surface. The CyRPA protein is highly adapted to bind to a glycan terminating with a sialic acid. The discovery of the key function of CyRPA in host cell invasion provides an explanation for the parasite inhibitory activity of CyRPA-specific antibodies" said Gerd Pluschke, Group Leader of Molecular Immunology at Swiss TPH, and co-corresponding author of the publication. Malaria parasite adapted to humans "Humans differ from other primates because they can only produce one type of sialic acid, called Neu5Ac. This genetic difference between humans and closely related primates has long been proposed to contribute to the species-specific targeting of malaria parasites. In this study, we show that the human form of sialic acid, Neu5Ac, is strongly preferred by the human-specific malaria parasite P. falciparum, and may explain the adaptation of this parasite to humans," said Michael Jennings, Acting Director of the Institute for Glycomics, and co-corresponding author of the paper. Implications for vaccine and drug development Vaccines targeting the P. falciparum pre-erythrocytic stages are registered for use. However, they only show moderate levels of efficacy. There is no registered vaccine against the blood stage of malaria, but there is intensive research on blood stage vaccines. "The discovery of the key function of CyRPA in host cell invasion strongly supports the concept to clinically test CyRPA as a blood stage vaccine target," said Pluschke. Moreover, as the emergence of drug resistance in the parasites that cause malaria is a major health threat, the study's findings offer hope for new antimalarial drugs that are urgently needed. "The essential binding activity of CyRPA to a specific glycan also validates CyRPA as drug target, and we demonstrate that small molecule inhibitors that interfered with this function can inhibit malaria replication in our study," said Jennings.

Join global network led by international organizations and global pharmaceutical companies Obtain a membership in recognition of innovation in malaria diagnostic solution Strengthen global leadership in malaria diagnosis based on European subsidiary YONGIN, South Korea, Feb. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Noul Co., Ltd., (376930.KR), an On-Device AI healthcare company, announced that its European subsidiary (noul GmbH) has become an official member of the Swiss Malaria Group, a Swiss public, private, academic & civil society leadership network for a malaria-free world. Continue Reading Noul and SMG Logo The recognition of innovation in the malaria diagnostic solution, miLab™ MAL played a major role in Noul becoming an official member of the Swiss Malaria Group. Through this membership, Noul will have a voice in the decision-making process towards developing healthcare policies to eradicate global malaria and will strengthen its global cooperation with other group members (Global Fund, FIND, MMV, Swiss TPH, Terre des Hommes, global pharmaceutical companies, and other civil society organizations) to consolidate its leadership in the field of malaria diagnosis. As Noul's malaria diagnostic solution, miLab™ MAL was introduced as 'an innovative product that will enter scale-up level' in Unitaid's 2022 Annual Report, it is getting attention from the international community as an innovative malaria diagnostic solution that overcomes the limitation of rapid diagnostic testing and manual microscopic diagnosis. According to the results of a clinical study of a total of 1,649 patients in Ethiopia and Ghana, unveiled in October 2023 at the American Academy of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), miLab™ MAL showed significantly higher sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria compared to field microscopy test. It also showed high applicability in diagnosing parasites with the pfhrp2/3 deletions. Dr. Taehwan Kim, Managing Director of noul GmbH said, "noul GmbH will play a pivotal role in global malaria diagnosis through its activities as a member of the Swiss Malaria Group. By utilizing Noul's innovative malaria diagnostic solution, we are going to further expand our presence in the market by leading strategies to eliminate global malaria and strengthening global cooperation with other group members." Swiss Malaria Group said, "Noul's innovative diagnostic tools align perfectly with the Swiss Malaria Group's emphasis on innovative solutions in the fight against malaria. Noul, which focuses on diagnostic solutions in blood and tissue diagnostics, has developed a cutting-edge digital microscopy-based malaria diagnostic tool, miLab™ MAL." Noul Website: Swiss Malaria Group Website: #SwissMalariaGroup #SMG #Noul #malaria #miLab #AI #innovation Photo - Logo -

The EIC has tapped FGen and partners to work on developing a sustainable, alternative approach to milk production using only CO2 and electricity FGen will focus on ultra-high throughput screening of bacteria engineered to convert CO2 into a major whey protein Utilizing microbial systems — instead of livestock — to produce valuable food ingredients will be critical for sustainable bioproduction of foods, medicines, and chemicals BASEL, Switzerland, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FGen AG, a subsidiary of Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), based in Switzerland, has been awarded funding through the European Innovation Council's (EIC) Pathfinder Challenge program. This is part of an international research consortium that aims to develop a new, sustainable approach to milk protein production using only carbon dioxide and electricity. The consortium, led by Finnish food tech innovator, Solar Foods, and also including leading researchers from the University of Groningen and RWTH Aachen University, was selected from more than 440 proposing teams for their four-year, €5.5M "high-risk/high reward" project playfully named HYDROCOW. Continue Reading FGen AG, a Ginkgo Bioworks Subsidiary, Awarded Funding Through European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder Programme For Sustainable Milk Protein Production Project Converting CO2 directly into valuable proteins The HYDROCOW team will work to genetically engineer hydrogen oxidizing bacteria (HOB) to convert carbon from CO2 gas and nitrogen from N2 into beta-lactoglobulin, a major whey protein found in cow's milk. Beta-lactoglobulin is used in food applications such as infant formula, protein supplements, and baked goods. Microbial systems that can produce valuable food ingredients and other products directly from CO2 will be critical for sustainable bioproduction of foods, medicines, and chemicals. Leveraging FGen's powerful screening technology Engineered microbes capable of producing beta-lactoglobulin will undergo ultra-high throughput testing at FGen, leveraging its cutting-edge platform that makes it possible to rapidly search through up to 1 million HOB variants in a single run. The highest performing HOB strains identified by FGen will then be validated by Solar Foods under autotrophic growth conditions in an industrially-relevant bioproduction environment. "We built our platform to help innovative companies like Solar Foods enable sustainable nutrition solutions, including alternative dairy. We're excited to leverage our powerful screening technology through FGen, and to play a critical role in this space for our commercial and government partners around the world," says Dr. Andreas Meyer, Senior Foundry Lead at Ginkgo Bioworks and co-founder of FGen. "This project is built around a world-class team of research and development partners, and we're proud to do our part to bring this promising technology forward." "The EIC supports the HYDROCOW project in its pursuit to develop sustainable bioproduction methods directly from CO2 and nitrogen compounds," said EIC Project Officer Olivier Dahon. "EIC is supporting scientific innovation through our portfolio approach for funding research projects under the Pathfinder Challenge: 'Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen Management and Valorisation.' Bringing precision fermentation for sustainable food ingredients from the lab to the market is considered critical for the achievement of the EU Green Deal. Success in this area can provide the technological basis to contribute to a sustainable development of our society," said EIC Program Manager Francesco Matteucci. If successful, the HYDROCOW project will enable novel nutrition-focused bioproduction methods that are not reliant on photosynthesis and conventional agriculture, instead converting atmospheric carbon directly into whey proteins, while saving time, energy, and land associated with current practices in the process. About Ginkgo Bioworks Ginkgo Bioworks is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, providing flexible, end-to-end services that solve challenges for organizations across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to pharmaceuticals to industrial and specialty chemicals. Ginkgo's biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo, is building global infrastructure for biosecurity to empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to prevent, detect and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and concentricbyginkgo.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (formerly known as Twitter) (@Ginkgo and @ConcentricByGBW), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks and @ConcentricByGinkgo), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks) or LinkedIn. Funding for FGen AG is provided by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI Nr. 23.00349). Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the capabilities and potential success of the partnership and Ginkgo's cell programming platform. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "can," "project," "potential," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) volatility in the price of Ginkgo's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo's business, (ii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, (iii) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (iv) the uncertainty regarding the demand for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (v) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vi) our ability to realize the expected benefits of merger and acquisition transactions, (vii) the outcome of any legal proceedings against Ginkgo, including as a result of recent acquisitions, (viii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform programs, (ix) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, and (x) the product development or commercialization success of our customers. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Ginkgo's quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on November 8, 2023 and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations. GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR CONTACT: [email protected] GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks