Sea cucumber protein used to fight malaria

LONDON, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- British researchers say they've genetically engineered a mosquito to release a sea-cucumber protein into its gut to impair the development of malaria parasites.

The study by Imperial College London, published in PLoS Pathogens, used the lethal protein CEL-III to prevent the mosquito from passing on the parasite.said it is a step towards developing new ways to prevent the transmission of malaria.

When mosquitoes feed on the blood of an infected human, malaria parasites undergo complex development in the insect's gut, the university said Friday in a release.

The report said early indications suggest that this sea cucumber protein could be effective on more than one of the four different parasites that can cause malaria in humans.