Advancing Key Gaps in the Knowledge of Plasmodium vivax Cryptic Infections Using Humanized Mouse Models and Organs-on-Chips
Aparici Herraiz, Iris (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol)
Caires, Hugo R. (Universidade do Porto)
Castillo-Fernández, Óscar (Universitat de Barcelona. Institut de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia)
Sima, Núria (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol)
Méndez-Mora, Lourdes (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada)
Risueño, Ruth M. (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol. Institut de Recerca contra la Leucèmia Josep Carreras)
Sattabongkot, Jetsumon (Mahidol University)
Roobsoong, Wanlapa (Mahidol University)
Hernández-Machado, Aurora (Centre de Recerca Matemàtica)
Fernandez-Becerra, Carmen (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol)
Barrias, Cristina C. (Universidade do Porto)
Del Portillo, Hernando A (Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Date:	2022
Abstract:	Plasmodium vivax is the most widely distributed human malaria parasite representing 36. 3% of disease burden in the South-East Asia region and the most predominant species in the region of the Americas. Recent estimates indicate that 3. 3 billion of people are under risk of infection with circa 7 million clinical cases reported each year. This burden is certainly underestimated as the vast majority of chronic infections are asymptomatic. For centuries, it has been widely accepted that the only source of cryptic parasites is the liver dormant stages known as hypnozoites. However, recent evidence indicates that niches outside the liver, in particular in the spleen and the bone marrow, can represent a major source of cryptic chronic erythrocytic infections. The origin of such chronic infections is highly controversial as many key knowledge gaps remain unanswered. Yet, as parasites in these niches seem to be sheltered from immune response and antimalarial drugs, research on this area should be reinforced if elimination of malaria is to be achieved. Due to ethical and technical considerations, working with the liver, bone marrow and spleen from natural infections is very difficult. Recent advances in the development of humanized mouse models and organs-on-a-chip models, offer novel technological frontiers to study human diseases, vaccine validation and drug discovery. Here, we review current data of these frontier technologies in malaria, highlighting major challenges ahead to study P. vivax cryptic niches, which perpetuate transmission and burden.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2019-111795RB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación CEX2018-000806-S-20-1
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, Vol. 12 (april 2022) , p. 920204, ISSN 2235-2988

DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.920204
PMID: 35873153

18 p, 3.9 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut d'Investigació en Ciencies de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP) > Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute
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Articles > Published articles