Kyla Duhamel / CC

The University of Saskatchewan is playing a big role in research aimed at developing a new generation of anti-malaria drugs. International researchers have identified the atomic breakdown of a protein that causes the disease responsible for over 400-thousand deaths a year in Africa, Asia and South America. Two pieces of state of the art equipment at the university are crucial in process. The Canadian Light Source’s CMCF beamline is used to convert the protein into solid form for analysis in the Cyclotron also situated on campus. Dr. Charles Calmettes is excited about the breakthrough and says the technology at the U-of-S is key to the project moving forward. He says it will take decades of clinical trials and testing before the new drugs can be used on patients. The majority of those who die from malaria are children under five years old.