Work

Advancing complement inhibition for the treatment of malarial anemia: a translational roadmap

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Severe anemia is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in children with malaria. For every Plasmodium -infected erythrocyte that is lysed, considerably more than 10 uninfected erythrocytes are cleared by extravascular hemolysis, thus leading to anemia. Compelling evidence indicates that breakdown products released from infected erythrocytes in the bloodstream activate complement and promote “innocent bystander” deposition of C3 activation fragments on the uninfected erythrocytes, thereby sensitizing them for elimination. We propose a series of in vitro experiments with blood cultures of malaria parasites to test the hypothesis that use of inhibitors that block complement at the C3 activation step can preserve and protect uninfected erythrocytes from C3 deposition. Successful demonstration of in vitro protection will set the stage for clinical trials based on the limited and focused use of complement inhibitors to prevent severe anemia in malaria.

Source: Malaria Journal

DOI: 10.1186/s12936-026-06120-7