A new study led by EMBL Australia Group Leader Dr Michelle Boyle, based at the Burnet Institute, has revealed a promising host‑directed approach to improving malaria treatment and long‑term immune protection.
The research, published in Science Translation Medicine, tested whether adding anti‑inflammatory drug ruxolitinib to standard malaria therapy could reduce harmful inflammation and help the immune system build better memory against malaria.
Malaria remains one of the world’s most significant infectious diseases, disproportionately affecting young children. While current medicines effectively kill the parasite, they do not address the excessive inflammation that contributes to dangerous symptoms and disrupts the development of long‑lasting immunity – leaving many people vulnerable to repeated infections.
This study shows that a targeted anti‑inflammatory therapy could shift that balance, supporting the body’s natural immune defence while standard anti-malaria drugs clear the parasite.
About the study
In a double‑blind, randomised, placebo‑controlled trial, healthy adult volunteers were deliberately infected with Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria. On day eight of infection, each participant received standard anti-malaria drugs, along with either ruxolitinib (to reduce inflammation) or a placebo.
The key findings were:
- Reduced inflammation: Participants treated with ruxolitinib showed lower levels of inflammatory markers after their first malaria infection. Lower inflammation is important because it supports safer recovery and reduces the risk of complications.
- Improved immune memory: When volunteers were re-infected three months later, those previously treated with ruxolitinib displayed stronger immune responses, signalling a more effective, longer-lasting form of immune protection.
- Safe and well tolerated: Ruxolitinib was safely administered alongside existing malaria treatment without serious side effects, suggesting it could be integrated into future malaria therapy strategies.
Dr Boyle said the results highlighted a promising new direction for boosting malaria immunity.
“We are excited about the potential of this approach, and are now working towards testing in patients with malaria in endemic countries,” Dr Boyle said.
See the full article: Rebecca Webster et al., Adjunctive ruxolitinib attenuates inflammation and enhances immunity in volunteers experimentally infected with Plasmodium falciparum.Sci. Transl. Med.17, eaea2531(2025).