Accessing invasion-competent Plasmodium vivax merozoites reveals antibody-dependent NK cell activation.

Researchers established a platform for synchronized release and isolation of invasion-competent Plasmodium vivax merozoites from ex vivo cultures, and found that antibody-opsonized merozoites can activate human NK cells. Reversible inhibition of parasite egress with the PKG inhibitor ML10 synchronized parasites at the segmented schizont stage, then rapid release was achieved using a liposome-based extrusion approach; recovery exceeded 75% with structural integrity and invasive capacity preserved. The paper was published in Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeh3417.