Genomic and Genetic Approaches to Studying Antimalarial Drug Resistance and Plasmodium Biology

Recent progress in genomics and molecular genetics has empowered novel approaches to study gene functions in disease-causing pathogens. In the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the application of genomebased analyses, site-directed genome editing, and genetic systems that allow for temporal and quantitative regulation of gene and protein expression have been invaluable in defining the genetic basis of antimalarial resistance and elucidating candidate targets to accelerate drug discovery efforts. Using examples from recent studies, we review applications of some of these approaches in advancing our understanding of Plasmodium biology and illustrate their contributions and limitations in characterizing parasite genomic loci associated with antimalarial drug responses.

Automated summary

Recent progress in genomics and molecular genetics has enabled novel approaches to study gene functions in disease-causing pathogens. In the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, genome-based analyses, site-directed genome editing, and genetic systems have been invaluable in defining antimalarial resistance and accelerating drug discovery efforts. These approaches have contributed to advancing our understanding of Plasmodium biology and characterizing genomic loci associated with antimalarial drug responses.