Parasite Galaxy

Looking more like a distant galaxy than a blood cell, this image reveals Band 3 and basigin – two proteins essential to red blood cell function – distributed across the glowing cell membrane.

During a malaria infection, there is a brief window for the malaria parasite to interact with these proteins, invading blood cells and causing infection. Using a technique called expansion microscopy, Ieisha physically expands red blood cells to four times their original size without disrupting the cell membrane. This allows identification of protein interactions that parasites use to enter the cell.

This research could lead to personalised therapies that target red blood cell membrane proteins and the malaria parasite simultaneously, offering a novel approach to combat a disease that kills an estimated 600,000 people every year.

• Ieisha Emily Lyons