Targeting Plasmodium falciparum pathways to overcome antimalarial resistance Paul C. Chikezie1,2,*ORCID iD , Franklyn O. Ohiagu3ORCID iD , Raphael C. Ekeanyanwu2ORCID iD , Augustine A. Uwakwe4ORCID iD , Chinwendu M. Chikezie5ORCID iD , Muideen R. Gbadamosi1ORCID iD , Ogueri Nwaiwu

https://www.academia.edu/3071-2521/2/3/10.20935/AcadDrug8499 The global burden of malaria remains substantial, exacerbated by the progressive emergence of resistance to frontline antimalarial therapies. Plasmodium falciparum, the most lethal malaria parasite, has developed reduced susceptibility to artemisinin-based combination therapies and several partner drugs, underscoring the urgent need for therapeutics acting on novel molecular targets. This review aims to critically evaluate emerging molecular targets for antimalarial drug development and assess the current preclinical and clinical evidence supporting their therapeutic potential in overcoming drug resistance. Evidence for this study was gathered through extensive searches of major scientific databases (PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar) from 1985 to 2026. A total of 53 references were selected to support the review. Advances in parasite genomics, metabolic profiling, and high-throughput screening have expanded the antimalarial target landscape, revealing essential enzymes, transporters, and regulatory pathways critical for parasite survival across life cycle stages. The review demonstrates that several genetically validated parasite-specific targets, namely Plasmodium falciparum phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PfPI4K), the P-type Na+-ATPase (PfATP4), dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (PfDHODH), folate metabolism enzymes, the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway, and P. falciparum eukaryotic translational elongation factor 2 (PfeEF2), have shown promising preclinical and early clinical efficacy. Collectively, these novel pathways represent promising avenues for next-generation antimalarial drug development and combination therapy strategies. https://www.academia.edu/journals/academia-drug-development-and-pharmacotherapy/articles?source=journal-top-nav

Is AI changing what gives our lives meaning?

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261029/Is-AI-changing-what-gives-our-lives-meaning.aspx As AI blurs the boundaries between human and machine, researchers examine how emerging technologies challenge our understanding of identity, purpose, and human connection. A new rapid review in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications explores how digital technologies, digital literacy, and knowledge management shape existential inquiry and meaningful engagement with technology.

Multivitamins boost key vitamin levels, but do they improve your health?

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261029/Multivitamins-boost-key-vitamin-levels-but-do-they-improve-your-health.aspx Millions take multivitamins hoping to protect their health, but what do decades of clinical trials reveal about their effects on memory, pregnancy, heart health, and aging? In a recent review published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements, the researchers examined the efficacy and safety of multivitamin use in adults. The effects varied by supplement formulation, population, and duration of use.

Online reviews reveal troubling side effects of insomnia drug lemborexant

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261029/Online-reviews-reveal-troubling-side-effects-of-insomnia-drug-lemborexant.aspx Researchers from Rutgers and other universities analyzed hundreds of online reviews on lemborexant – and learned that about 1 in 4 of the reviewers stopped or planned to stop taking the prescription medication used to treat insomnia. Insomnia – difficulty falling or staying asleep – affects about 30% of adults, according to prior sleep research. Lemborexant, approved in the U.S. in 2019, belongs to the newest class of insomnia drugs. Rather than broadly sedating the brain like many older sleeping pills, these medicines block signals from orexin, a chemical messenger that helps keep people awake. In clinical trials, lemborexant (sold as Dayvigo) helped people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer than a placebo. Ongoing work at Rutgers Brain Health Institute is investigating the potential repurposing of orexin-based sleep medications to treat sleep disturbances in a range of psychiatric conditions, including addiction.

Gut microbial catalog reveals systemic inflammation drivers in spinal injury

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261030/Gut-microbial-catalog-reveals-systemic-inflammation-drivers-in-spinal-injury.aspx Scientists exploring the links between a spinal cord injury, inflammation and immune function have turned their attention to a genome-level analysis of the gut microbial community, with early study results offering hints at potential new approaches to aid healing.

Tailoring prostate cancer radiotherapy to body clock could cut long-term side effects

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261030/Tailoring-prostate-cancer-radiotherapy-to-body-clock-could-cut-long-term-side-effects.aspx A study by Leicester researchers shows that the timing of radiotherapy treatment may be as important as how it is given for prostate cancer patients. Researchers at the University of Leicester have discovered that a patient’s genetic makeup and the time of day they receive radiotherapy can work together to influence their risk of developing long-term side effects for treatment of prostate cancer.

Voices in Care: Multidisciplinary and Patient Perspectives on Advanced/Recurrent Endometrial Cancer Authors: Eva-Maria Strömsholm; Rebecca Kristeleit, MBChB, MRCP, PhD; Domenica Lorusso, MD, PhD; Antonio González-Martín, MD, PhD; Claire Lusted, ANP

https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/voices-care-multidisciplinary-and-patient-perspectives-2026a1000hui?page=1&src=mkmcmr_driv_stan_mscpedu_261026-OUS-HONC-voices-care-multidisciplinary-and-patient-perspectives-2026a1000hui-cta&uac=148436CN