Qld: New research facility joins race to find malaria drugs

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2008
Qld: New research facility joins race to find malaria drugs

By Gabrielle Dunlevy

BRISBANE, April 24 AAP - A new research facility in Brisbane is seeking fresh malaria
therapies with the added challenge of making them available for as little as $1.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh today opened the $18 million headquarters of the Eskitis
Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies at Griffith University.

Jointly funded by the university and the state government, the facility will conduct
research into serious conditions such as neuro-degeneration, cancer, spinal paralysis
and Parkinson's disease.

Also high on its priorities are diseases that devastate developing nations, including
malaria and African sleeping sickness.

Tomorrow is World Malaria Day.

Ms Bligh said worldwide the disease killed a child every 30 seconds, and between one
and two million people annually.

"It is estimated that if global warming continues at current rates, it could very well
be a disease that reaches Queensland's shores in the not too distant future," she said.

"We should be motivated not only by our own potential exposure to the disease but by
the fact that it is such a devastating disease on countries in our region ... robbing
the young and developing nations of their children."

The malaria parasite, transmitted by mosquitoes, has developed resistance to most drugs
on the market, forcing researchers to look for new solutions.

Eskitis Institute executive director Ron Quinn said they must also be affordable to
be of use in developing nations.

"We have to work extremely hard to get those anti-malarials down to $1 per tablet and
it has to be a single dose, once a day tablet," Prof Quinn said.

"That's the challenge."

The researchers are examining drugs derived from natural, as well as synthetic sources.

AAP gd/pjo/it/cdh

KEYWORD: ESKITIS

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