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Defining the Role of PfCRT and PfMDR1 as Pleiotropic Mediators of Plasmodium falciparum Multidrug Resistance

Award Number: R37AI050234
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2001
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2028

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Defining the Role of PfCRT and PfMDR1 as Pleiotropic Mediators of Plasmodium falciparum Multidrug Resistance - PROJECT SUMMARY (See instructions): Antimalarial drug resistance has repeatedly thwarted global efforts to treat and control malaria. Chloroquine, the former gold-standard drug, earlier succumbed to parasite strains harboring mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter, PfCRT. Now, artemisinin-based combination therapies have failed in Southeast Asia, driven in part by novel PfCRT variants that confer resistance to the first-line partner drug piperaquine. Resistance to other partner drugs including amodiaquine, lumefantrine, and mefloquine can be conferred by variant forms of PfCRT or the ABC transporter PfMDR1. Our R37 AI050234, funded since 2001, has substantially advanced research in this area including: publishing definitive evidence that PfCRT mutations are the primary determinant of chloroquine and piperaquine resistance; attributing resistance to PfCRT-mediated drug efflux; solving the PfCRT structure; defining fitness costs and physiological effects that impact the spread of resistant alleles; globally mapping pfcrt and pfmdr1 variants across the globe; and characterizing PfMDR 1-mediated multidrug resistance. Since our prior submission in August 2017 we have published 23 articles including in Nature, Nature Microbiol, Lancet Infect Dis, and Cell Chem Biol. Our R37 MERIT Extension application proposes to advance this with four new Specific Aims. Aim 1: Define whether mutant PfCRT can mediate piperaquine resistance in African strains. We will determine whether PfCRT mutations that cause piperaquine resistance in Asian parasites will similarly confer resistance in African strains with regionally distinct PfCRT isoforms. We will also assess the impact of these isoforms on other antimalarials and on parasite fitness. Aim 2: Define genetic determinants that function epistatically with PfCRT to mediate resistance. Using our recent P. falciparum genetic cross, we will positionally map and characterize genes that are coinherited with mutant PfCRT in chloroquine- and/or quinine-resistant progeny and determine whether these determinants augment resistance or have evolved to offset fitness costs. Aim 3: Identify PfCRT-specific inhibitors that can reverse drug resistance. We propose to screen diverse chemical libraries to identify compounds that block the efflux of chloroquine or piperaquine in drug-resistant parasite lines. Assays with pfcrt-conditional knockdown parasites and recombinant PfCRT will test for compounds that can bind this transporter, block efflux, and restore drug potency. Aim 4: Solve the PfMDR1 structure and define its drug efflux properties compared with PfCRT. Following our recent success with PfCRT, we propose to solve the PfMDR1 structure using cryo-electron microscopy. We will also perform binding and transport assays with purified recombinant protein to characterize the resistance properties of PfMDR1 variants. This proposal, which aligns with the NIAID priority of supporting research on antimicrobial drug resistance, will substantially advance our understanding of antimalarial resistance and yield biomarkers and new strategies to counter drug-resistant malaria.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $546,798 )
2026	2026	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	24	1/15/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$546,798
														Subtotal = $546,798

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $546,798 )
2025	2025	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	23	1/16/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$546,798
														Subtotal = $546,798

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $546,798 )
2024	2024	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	22	5/23/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$54,679
2024	2024	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	22	1/18/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$492,119
2024	2023	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	003	21	7/25/2024	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$0
2024	2022	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	002	20	7/25/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $546,798

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $546,795 )
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	21	12/7/2022	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$546,795
														Subtotal = $546,795

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $449,100 )
2022	2022	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	20	1/20/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$449,100
														Subtotal = $449,100

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $449,100 )
2021	2021	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	19	1/27/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$449,100
														Subtotal = $449,100

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $449,100 )
2020	2020	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	18	3/6/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$449,100
														Subtotal = $449,100

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $449,100 )
2019	2019	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	17	1/21/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$449,100
														Subtotal = $449,100

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $772,382 )
2018	2018	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	002	16	8/27/2018	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2018	2018	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	16	2/7/2018	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$446,789
2018	2018	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	16	7/13/2018	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$325,593
														Subtotal = $772,382

Grand Total All Awards = $4,755,971

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Defining the Role of PfCRT and PfMDR1 as Pleiotropic Mediators of Plasmodium falciparum Multidrug Resistance

Award Number: R37AI050234

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2001

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2028

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