The artemisinin molecule contains a peroxide chemical bond, which is believed to be essential to its anti-malarial activity. The not-for-profit organization Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) is collaborating with a number of research partners including the University of Nebraska, Monash University, and the Swiss Tropical Institute, on the development of a more stable, rapid acting, fully synthetic, artemisinin-like molecule.
The chemical structure of artemisinin contains a peroxide bond, which is essential for the antimalarial activity. The synthetic peroxides are a new class of antimalarial compound that also have a peroxide bond and that are safe and potent. A class of synthetic peroxides, coined the ‘OZ compounds,’ could potentially have a different mode of action or molecular target in the parasite, compared to artemisinin.
Synthetic drugs that mimic the working mechanism of artemisinin are being developed, not to replace artemisinin, but to provide another option in addition to plant-based artemisinin drugs.
