Authors
Hanna Dhiyebi, Aminata Mbaye, Anusha Thaniana, John Gilleran, Tyler Eck, Kutub Ashraf, Karl Kudyba, Howard Fan, Steve Seibold, Kevin P Battaile, John Siekierka, Evan Johnson, Alison Roth, Amy De Rocher, Scott Lovell, Edward B Miller, Jacques Y Roberge, Purnima Bhanot
Published in
PLoS pathogens. Volume 22. Issue 7. Pages e1014322. Epub Jul 30, 2026.
Abstract
Malaria remains a global health threat exacerbated by emerging resistance to antimalarial therapies and insecticides, climate-driven outbreaks, and limited chemoprotective options. Here, we report the characterization of RUPB-61, the first orally bioavailable inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PfPKG). RUPB-61 prevents infection by P. falciparum and P. cynomolgi sporozoites, including the formation of hypnozoites by the latter. A single oral dose blocks liver infection by P. berghei sporozoites in vivo, demonstrating efficacy consistent with further development as a once-weekly prophylaxis based on pharmacokinetic modeling. The compound retains activity against field isolates resistant to chloroquine, mefloquine, cycloguanil, sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine, suggesting low likelihood of cross-resistance to existing antimalarials. Structural studies and free energy-based modeling guided-compound design prospectively validated the predictive accuracy of an in silico model of PfPKG interactions with this chemotype. While selectivity profiling identified off-target activity against human kinases, structural modeling provides a clear path for optimization. These results establish PfPKG inhibitors as promising candidates for chemoprevention and support further preclinical development of the RUPB-61 chemotype.
PMID:
42531257
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 31 Jul 2026.
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