Malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum (Pf), is the most devastating parasitic disease affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The parasite’s transmission cycle between humans and mosquitoes involves a remarkable series of morphological transformations. While it is clear that, for such a complex journey, the intracellular parasites must develop means to sense their host and coordinate their actions; these modes of communication remain one of the greatest mysteries in malaria biology. In fact, since an individual parasite is enclosed by three membranes inside its human host, the red blood cell (RBC), they were not thought to possess any communication ability. However, we discovered that these parasites, despite the multiple barriers, are able to communicate and exchange episomal genes by releasing extracellular vesicles (EVs), thereby opening the exciting new field of malaria parasite communication. With ERC funding support, our lab aims to take an innovative approach to the underexplored field of malaria parasite communication and sensing pathways. We seek to unravel the complex parasite-host signaling networks by defining the biological roles of parasite-derived vesicles in communication and exploring an additional mode of chemical signalling through secreted small molecules. Our goal is to build a comprehensive view of parasite communication and social behaviour while identifying new therapeutic targets. Using a multidisciplinary approach, integrating biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, chemistry, omics, and molecular biology, we have uncovered new insights into parasite cell-communication biology and continue advancing this emerging field.
