UCT’s H3D, identifies second compound, which could treat and prevent malaria

Scientists at the University of Cape Town’s Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) are making progress in their quest to develop a drug, which can treat and prevent malaria.

According to the centre, the new potent anti-malarial development candidate, which has been discovered holds the “potential for both treatment and prevention of malaria”.

H3D is Africa’s first integrated drug discovery and development centre. Scientists at the centre have been working on the project since 2012 when the first major breakthrough was recorded.

The new compound, which is referred to as UCT943, is the second preclinical candidate and data has shown potential of UCT943 to be more potent against the parasite, and to be easier to formulate.

A file picture shows an ‘Anopheles gambiae’ mosquito, a vector for the malaria parasite, drawing blood while biting a researcher at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) insect research facility in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: ANP/EPA/Stephen Morrison

Professor Kelly Chibale, Founder and Director of H3D says, “UCT943 has potent activity against all stages of the malaria parasite life-cycle and has the potential to block transmission of the parasite from person to person and, as such, could contribute to the eradication of malaria”.

“The pre-clinical assessment of UCT943 is expected to take around 18 months, after which the hope is that it will progress into safety studies in human volunteers,” Professor Chibale said.

Researchers around Africa have been working tirelessly to develop effective anti-malarial drugs to reduce and end the high malaria mortality rate. Recently, Ugandan scientists developed a drug from natural herbs that cures malaria in about three days, a major step in African medical innovation and in the fight against the disease.

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Malaria remains a huge problem on the continent and the disease, “is still the number one cause of hospitalisations and deaths in Africa. In fact, malaria causes more deaths than HIV and tuberculosis, considering that there is a malaria related death every 30 seconds in Africa,” according to Bayer.

The World Health Organisation, says the “[Sub-Saharan Africa] region continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2015, the region was home to 89% of malaria cases and 91% of malaria deaths”.

There is certainly hope that the research work being done at the Drug Discovery and Development Centre will be a success, to complement similar efforts being made in the fight against the disease.