A TROPICAL seaweed may provide scientists with a new weapon against malaria, research has shown.
Chemical compounds used by the seaweed to ward off fungal attacks have shown promising activity against the malaria parasite in the laboratory.
Researchers hope to test the most effective compound in mice.
They are also trying to synthesise a more potent artificial version of the chemical.
New drugs are urgently needed to combat malaria, which has developed resistance to most available treatments.
Each year it kills around 1m people, mostly in poorer regions such as sub-Saharan Africa.
The anti-fungal compounds were found on the surface of Callophycus serratus, a seaweed found in waters off the Fiji islands.
Scientists spoke about the research at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
