New Source of Cells for Modeling Malaria

February 9, 2015

(MIT News) – A new advance by MIT engineers could aid in those efforts: The researchers have discovered a way to grow liver-like cells from induced pluripotent stem cells. These cells can be infected with several strains of the malaria parasite and respond to existing drugs the same way that mature liver cells taken from human donors do. Such cells offer a plentiful source for testing potential malaria drugs because they can be made from skin cells.