The discovery of rocket-like motion inside malaria parasites reveals a microscopic world that has long eluded scientists, where tiny iron crystals spin relentlessly powered by hydrogen peroxide. This constant motion not only helps the parasite detoxify harmful chemicals and manage iron, but also opens a new frontier for medicine and technology. By understanding this mechanism, researchers now have a potential target for drugs that could kill the parasite without harming human cells, while engineers may find inspiration for designing self-propelled nanoparticles and microscopic robots
Researchers at the University of Utah have discovered that malaria parasites harbour tiny spinning crystals that function like microscopic rocket engines, a finding that sheds new light on how the parasite survives in the human body and opens potential avenues for drug development and nanotechnology.
Every cell of the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum contains a small compartment packed with microscopic iron-containing crystals known as hemozoin. Scientists have long been aware of these crystals because they are a key target for antimalarial drugs, yet their unusual motion remained a mystery. While the parasite is alive, the crystals whirl, bounce, and collide within their confined space at remarkable speeds. The movement is so rapid and unpredictable that conventional imaging tools struggle to track it. When the parasite dies, the motion stops immediately, underscoring that this activity is biologically driven.
“People don’t talk about what they don’t understand, and because the motion of these crystals is so mysterious and bizarre, it’s been a blind spot for parasitology for decades,” said Paul Sigala, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah.
Sigala’s team discovered that the motion is powered by a chemical reaction remarkably similar to those used in rocket engines. Hydrogen peroxide, naturally generated by the parasite as a metabolic byproduct, breaks down into water and oxygen, releasing energy that propels the crystals.
“This hydrogen peroxide decomposition has been used to power large-scale rockets,” said Erica Hastings, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry at the University of Utah. “But I don’t think it has ever been observed in biological systems.”
To test the mechanism, researchers exposed isolated crystals to hydrogen peroxide outside of the parasite and observed that they spun just as energetically as inside the parasite. Conversely, parasites grown under low-oxygen conditions, which limit hydrogen peroxide production, exhibited crystals spinning at roughly half the usual speed, despite the parasites otherwise appearing healthy. This confirmed that hydrogen peroxide was the primary driver of the motion.
The spinning may serve several critical functions for the parasite. Hydrogen peroxide is toxic, and uncontrolled accumulation could damage cellular components. By spinning, the crystals may help break down excess peroxide safely, allowing the parasite to detoxify its environment. The motion may also prevent the crystals from clumping together, preserving their surface area and enabling the parasite to store and process additional heme efficiently.
Beyond its biological significance, the discovery has implications for technology. The hemozoin crystals represent the first known example of self-propelled metallic nanoparticles in a living organism. Scientists speculate that similar mechanisms may exist elsewhere in nature, and understanding them could inform the design of nanoscale robots for targeted drug delivery or industrial applications.
“Nano-engineered self-propelling particles can be used for a variety of industrial and drug delivery applications, and we think there are potential insights that will come from these results,” Sigala said.
The research also opens potential pathways for new malaria treatments. Because the chemical reaction powering the crystals is unique to the parasite and not found in human cells, drugs that block the reaction could kill the parasite without producing harmful side effects.
“If we target a drug to an area that’s very different from human cells, then it’s probably not going to have extreme side effects,” Hastings said.
The work, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was supported by multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Utah’s research initiatives.
Malaria continues to be one of the deadliest infectious diseases globally, causing more than 400,000 deaths in 2024, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Resistance to existing drugs has made treatment increasingly difficult, highlighting the need for innovative approaches. The identification of these microscopic rocket engines not only advances scientific understanding of the parasite’s biology but also provides a potential target for therapies that could be safer and more effective than current options.
This discovery also carries broader implications for science and engineering. By studying the self-propelling behavior of hemozoin crystals, researchers may develop microscopic robots capable of performing tasks within the human body or in industrial settings, from delivering drugs to precise locations to cleaning microscopic surfaces. The overlap of biology and technology in this research demonstrates how insights from nature can inspire innovations in fields ranging from medicine to nanotechnology.
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