Patent ID: 7611853

Claim:
An assay to screen anti-malarial drugs by testing for binding of a test compound with plasmodium 90 kDa heat shock protein which comprises: (a) immobilizing said test compound covalently on a matrix thereby forming an immobilized test compound; (b) reacting saponin-freed Plasmodial trophozoite lysate comprising plasmodium 90 kDa heat shock protein with said immobilized test compound; (c) detecting binding of plasmodium 90 kDa heat shock protein to said immobilized test compound; (d) selecting said test compound if binding between said plasmodium 90 kDa heat shock protein and said immobilized test compound is detected in step (c); (e) measuring growth of Plasmodium falciparum in an assay comprising measuring the number of P. falciparum ring forms growing into P. falciparum trophozoite forms with and without said selected test compound, said number of ring forms and said trophozoite forms being measured with flow cytometry; (f) comparing the growth of P. falciparum in said growth assay with and without said selected test compound; and (g) detecting a decrease in said measured growth of P. falciparum exposed to said selected test compound as compared to the growth of P. falciparum not exposed to said selected test compound as being indicative of said selected test compound being an anti-malarial drug.