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Indian Scientist Helps Make Revolutionary Discovery That Could End Malaria

Recently, an Indian scientist named Dr. Mahmood Alam, along with other top international scientists, came up with a potential cure for a disease degenerating the health of thousands of Indians, Malaria.

Indian Scientist Helps Make Revolutionary Discovery That Could End Malaria

Recently, an Indian scientist named Dr. Mahmood Alam, along with other top international scientists, came up with a potential cure for a disease degenerating the health of thousands of Indians, malaria. 

Of all the citizens of India, mosquitoes are by far the most annoying ones. What with all their minuteness, shrewd and well-planned deployment, and their primary weapons – Malaria and Dengue. Little did they know, whilst spreading their horror, that one day a scientist would rise up against them and null their weapons into nothingness.

"Anopheles stephensi" by Jim Gathany - This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #5814.Note: Not all PHIL images are public domain; be sure to check copyright status and credit authors and content providers.English | Slovenščina | +/−. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
“Anopheles stephensi” by Jim Gathany. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Credit – Wikipedia

Okay. So, in all seriousness, it is not surprising at all that in a team of top international scientists dedicated to stopping malaria, an Indian is an integral part of it. Firstly, it’s science and second, more importantly, it’s about mosquitoes. The project practically calls out to Indians!

Dr. Mahmood Alam, hailing from Lohardaga in Jharkhand, is among the authors of the new study published in Nature Communications, the main element of which focuses on a key protein capable of stopping malaria.

Mahmood graduated in Biotechnology from Ranchi and moved to Pondicherry University for his Master’s. He has been quoted saying that he regularly studied the malaria parasite, in order to come up with a vaccination and cure. His team found that the survival of the parasite depends heavily on protein kinase (PfPKG) in various pathways. Understanding the cause of the survival shall help in production of drugs which kill such a cause.

This could be a revolutionary discovery. Unfortunately, India is a country where poverty and negligence is so stringent, that people die of malaria. If this research materializes, thousands of lives could be saved. Malaria could be the small pox of this century. It has the potential to die within this decade itself.

Since, the topic is being pondered upon, a mosquito-infested country must always be aware of the symptoms –

Symptoms_of_Malaria
:Häggström, Mikael. “Medical gallery of Mikael Häggström 2014”. All used images are in public domain.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Credit – Wikipedia

“There has been a great deal of excitement among malaria scientists about the outcome of our research. It not only tells us about the biochemical pathways that are essential for the parasite to survive in our bodies but also allows us to design drugs that can spot these essential pathways and thereby kill the parasite.”

– Dr. Mahmood Alam, as quoted in The Hindu. Or in other words “DIE MOSQUITO. DIE”. We feel your sentiment, Alam.

Congratulations are in order for this extraordinary gentleman, who we are sure was saturated with all the scratching and buzzing sounds, and vowed to rid himself of this nuisance.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us:contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

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