Happy to share that the initial version of our paper on apicoplast acyl carrier protein in #malaria parasites is now out at @elife.bsky.social. Revised version to come.

Kade Loveridge's thesis defense is today at 11am in the EIHG auditorium!

U of Utah Dept of Biochemistry@uofubiochem.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Don't miss Kade Loveridge's thesis defense: "Getting inverted: New perspectives on how malaria parasites acquire and use iron" - this Fri May 29th at 11am, EIHG auditorium!

Please join Jessica N. Pita Aquino (Sigala lab, @sigalalab.bsky.social) for her Ph.D. Thesis Defense, “Maturation of the Rieske Fe-S Protein in Mitochondrial Complex III of Malaria Parasites.” Friday, May 8, 2026, 10 - 11AM in the Human Genetics (EIHG) Auditorium!

Malaria is a life-threatening disease that continues to impact millions worldwide. Researchers at @uofuhealth.bsky.social are working from multiple angles to better understand, prevent, and treat it. Learn more about their work. https://bit.ly/4txuBGE

Thrilled to share a new collaborative preprint, joint with Sean Prigge @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social, on the apicoplast ACP in #malaria parasites. @uofubiochem.bsky.social @uuhsresearch.bsky.social @parasitesrule.org www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Happy to announce a new review article by MD/PhD student Kade Loveridge on iron metabolism in #malaria #parasites. @uofubiochem.bsky.social @uuhsresearch.bsky.social @uofutahcihd.bsky.social @parasitesrule.org journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

Fifty shades of iron: Unorthodox mechanisms of iron acquisition and utilization in blood-stage Plasmodium parasites

Plasmodium falciparum parasites cause severe human malaria and depend on iron for essential metabolic processes during all phases of their complicated lifecycle, including when growing in human red bl...

journals.plos.org

Come and learn more about Dr. McReynolds's journey to science while enjoying a warm and delicious breakfast! This event is open to all, and everyone is welcome, so bring a friend and help spread the word!

We’re excited to invite you to support our SACNAS student chapter through a fundraising event at Space Tea! 🧋🧋 To make your purchase count toward the fundraiser, please mention SACNAS at checkout!! Please join us! 🧸

Happy to share a new preprint exploring the unusual biochemistry of a "weirdly" diverged cytochrome c in malaria parasites that exemplifies a lineage common to many apicomplexan parasites. @uofubiochem.bsky.social @uuhsresearch.bsky.social @uofutahcihd.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

A Divergent Cytochrome c in Malaria Parasites with an Anomalously Low Redox Potential

Eukaryotic cytochrome (cyt) c is a highly conserved mitochondrial protein central to cellular respiration, featuring a covalently attached hexacoordinate heme whose redox potential is tuned by axial H...

biorxiv.org

@uofuhealth.bsky.social put out a gracious highlight on our manuscript @pnas.org #malaria @uofubiochem.bsky.social @uofutahcihd.bsky.social healthcare.utah.edu/newsroom/new...

Malaria Parasites are Full of Wildly Spinning Iron Crystals. Scientists Finally Know Why.

The first known metallic nanomotor in biology is powered by rocket fuel.

healthcare.utah.edu

Thrilled our study on heme crystal motion in #malaria @parasitesrule.org is now published @pnas.org, support from NIH, @bwfund.bsky.social, @uofutahcihd.bsky.social, UofU 3i. With Fu and Bidone labs @price.utah.edu, @uofubiochem.bsky.social, @uofuhealth.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Chemical propulsion of hemozoin crystal motion in malaria parasites | PNAS

Malaria parasites infect red blood cells where they digest host hemoglobin and release free heme inside a lysosome-like organelle called the food v...

pnas.org

It was a pleasure to host these speakers for our 2025 #Postdoc Rising Stars event! Great science and terrific symposium. @uofubiochem.bsky.social @uuhsresearch.bsky.social

Very excited to welcome these #postdoc speakers to our annual @utah.edu Rising Stars Symposium cohosted by @uofubiochem.bsky.social and Med Chem @uuhsresearch.bsky.social with keynote address by Ryan Watts at Denali

We're thrilled to announce the 2025 Postdoctoral Rising Stars Symposium cohosted @uofuhealth.bsky.social by @uofubiochem.bsky.social and MedChem with keynote by Ryan Watts at Denali Therapeutics

Congratulations to lab members Aldo García-Guerrero and Erica Hastings for winning the @uofubiochem.bsky.social Evelyn Bruenger and Marjorie Riches Gunn Awards for Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Research Excellence, respectively! #malaria @uofutahcihd.bsky.social @uuhsresearch.bsky.social

Happening today! @uofubiochem.bsky.social @uofutahcihd.bsky.social @parasitesrule.org #malaria #biophysics www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Chemical propulsion of hemozoin crystal motion in malaria parasites

Malaria parasites infect red blood cells where they digest host hemoglobin and release free heme inside a lysosome-like organelle called the food vacuole. To detoxify excess heme, parasites form hemoz...

biorxiv.org

Paul Sigala@sigalalab.bsky.social · last yr.

It's an honor to announce the upcoming PhD thesis defense of Erica Hastings, who will present her work on #malaria parasites and the biophysics of hemozoin motion @uofubiochem.bsky.social ky.social @uofutahcihd.bsky.social @parasitesrule.org

Congrats to our chair, Wes Sundquist, on being awarded the Bhaumik Breakthrough of the Year Award for work on lenacapavir!

American Association for the Advancement of Science@aaas.org · last yr.

Yvette Raphael, Gilead Sciences—with special recognition of Moupali Das—and Wesley Sundquist have been awarded the Mani L. Bhaumik Breakthrough of the Year Award for their work on HIV drug lenacapavir. www.aaas.org/news/road-le...

It's an honor to announce the upcoming PhD thesis defense of Erica Hastings, who will present her work on #malaria parasites and the biophysics of hemozoin motion @uofubiochem.bsky.social ky.social @uofutahcihd.bsky.social @parasitesrule.org

Thrilled to announce a new collaborative preprint from PhD student Erica Hastings unraveling the nature and mechanism of fascinating hemozoin crystal motion inside #malaria parasites @uofubiochem.bsky.social @uofutahcihd.bsky.social @bwfund.bsky.social @parasitesrule.org t.co/zLPgIS1rig

Thanks to @pubs.acs.org for featuring our work on cyt c biogenesis in #malaria parasites on the front cover! @uofubiochem.bsky.social @uofutahcihd.bsky.social pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

ACS Infectious Diseases

Predicted structure of the key complex from malaria parasites that attaches heme to mitochondrial cytochrome c to support the critical function of the electron transport chain. This structure was predicted using the AlphaFold 3 server and rendered using PyMOL. View the article.

pubs.acs.org

Very proud of PhD student Erica Hastings who gave a talk and poster at the American Physical Society meeting on collaborative work to understand hemozoin crystal motion in #malaria parasites @uofubiochem.bsky.social @uofutahcihd.bsky.social @bwfund.bsky.social Paper coming soon!