Publications by authors named "Daisy D Colon-Lopez"

parasites are increasingly drug-resistant, requiring the search for novel antimalarials with distinct modes of action. Enzymes in the glutathione pathway, including glutathione S-transferase (GST), show promise as novel antimalarial targets. This study aims to better understand the biological function of GST, assess its potential as a drug target, and identify novel antiplasmodial compounds using the rodent model .

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Article Synopsis
  • - The lack of collaboration between academia and the pharmaceutical industry limits new drug discovery, but open source drug initiatives, like sharing physical compounds, could help bridge this gap and accelerate research.
  • - The Medicines for Malaria Venture created the Malaria Box, a collection of over 400 compounds tested against malaria, which has been shared with almost 200 research groups, encouraging public data sharing on screening results.
  • - Recent findings from the Malaria Box screenings revealed mechanisms of action for many compounds against various life stages of the malaria parasite, and some showed effectiveness against other pathogens and cancer cell lines, providing valuable data for further drug development.
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Ezrin is a member of the ERM (ezrin, radixin, moesin) family of proteins and functions as a linker between the plasma membrane and the actin cytoskeleton. Ezrin is a key driver of tumor progression and metastatic spread of osteosarcoma. We discovered a quinoline-based small molecule, NSC305787, that directly binds to ezrin and inhibits its functions in promoting invasive phenotype.

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Background: Subtilisin-like protease 2 (SUB2) is a conserved serine protease utilized by Plasmodium parasites as a surface sheddase required for successful merozoite invasion of host red blood cells and has been implicated in ookinete invasion of the mosquito midgut. To determine if SUB2 is a suitable vaccine target to interfere with malaria parasite development, the effects of SUB2-immunization on the Plasmodium life cycle were examined in its vertebrate and invertebrate hosts.

Methods: Swiss Webster mice were immunized with SUB2 peptides conjugated to Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) or KLH alone, and then challenged with Plasmodium berghei.

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Human Interleukin-3 (IL-3) is a lymphokine member of a class of transiently expressed mRNAs harboring Adenosine/Uridine-Rich Elements (ARE) in their 3' untranslated regions (3'-UTRs). The regulatory effects of AREs are often mediated by specific ARE-binding proteins (ARE-BPs). In this report, we show that the human IL-3 3'-UTR plays a post-transcriptional regulation role in two human transformed cell lines.

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