Innovative Strategies Against Blood Parasites

1. Overview of blood parasitic diseases
Shaimaa Mohamed Kasem, Omnia Hamed, Mohamed A. Dkhil

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Major blood parasites and transmission

1.3 Pathogenicity and host–parasite interactions

1.4 Epidemiology and global burden

1.5 Socioeconomic impact

1.6 Diagnostic approaches

1.7 Treatment and control strategies

1.8 Challenges and emerging concerns

1.9 Future perspectives
References


2. Drug resistance and the urgent need for novel therapies
Raja’a Al‑Qudah, Malek Al‑Najjar, Mohammad A.A. Al‑Najjar, Amin Omar, Muna Barakat

2.1 Mechanisms of drug resistance in blood‑borne pProtozoa

2.2 Drug resistance in malaria

2.3 The history of drug resistance in malaria and the shift to new‑generation agents

2.4 Resistance mechanisms for classical and next‑generation antimalarials

2.5 Drug resistance in leishmaniasis

2.6 The history of drug resistance in leishmania and the shift to combination therapy

2.7 Resistance mechanisms for classical and combination antileishmanial therapy

2.8 Drug resistance in African sleeping sickness

2.9 The history of drug resistance in African sleeping sickness

2.10 Resistance mechanisms for African sleeping sickness therapy

2.11 Limitations of current antiparasitic therapies: clinical and operational gaps

2.12 Clinical gaps in current therapies

2.13 Operational and implementation gaps

2.14 Implications for novel therapies and nanotechnology

2.15 Summary and key messages
References


3. Natural products in the ight against blood parasites
Rewaida Abdel‑Gaber, Shaimaa M. Kasem, Omnia R. Hamed, Mohamed A. Dkhil

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Diversity of natural products as antiparasitic agents

3.3 Mechanisms of action of natural products against blood parasites

3.4 Synergistic effects and combination therapies

3.5 Nanotechnology and natural products

3.6 Challenges and limitations

3.7 Future directions and perspectives

3.8 Conclusion
AI disclosure
References


4. Mechanisms of action of natural antiparasitic agents
Felwa A. Thagfan, Huda A. Alqahtani, Omnia R. Hamed, Mohamed Dkhil

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Targeting parasite metabolism

4.3 Drugs disrupting parasite membrane integrity

4.4 Molecular interference with DNA replication and protein synthesis in blood parasites

4.5 Drugs disrupting parasite membrane integrity

4.6 Targeting specialized parasite organelles

4.7 Immune‑modulating mechanisms

4.8 Mechanisms of drug resistance

4.9 Novel and emerging therapeutic strategies

4.10 Conclusion
References
Further reading


5. Medicinal and analogue chemistry of natural products
Simeon Santourlidis, Youssef A. El‑Sayed, Khalid A. wad Elkareem Ahmed, Rania Ali El Hadi Mohamed, Mohamed A. Dkhil

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Strategies for optimization of natural leads

5.3 Structure‑activity relationship (SAR) analysis

5.4 Gene analysis and molecular mechanisms

5.5 Computational and integrative approaches

5.6 Challenges, future perspectives, and conclusions
AI disclosure
References


6. Nanotechnology in blood parasite control
Malek Al‑Najjar, Raja’a Al‑Qudah, Amin Omar, Muna Barakat, Mohammad A.A. Al‑Najjar

6.1 Nanotechnology platforms for parasite targeting: materials, design, and mode of action

6.2 Material classes and properties: lipid, polymeric, inorganic, and hybrid nanoplatforms

6.3 Surface engineering and targeting ligands: antibodies, peptides, aptamers, and glycoconjugates

6.4 Stimuli responsive designs: pH, redox, enzymatic, and magnetic/photothermal triggers

6.5 Payload integration: small molecules, prodrugs, peptides, and gene cargos (siRNA/CRISPR)

6.6 Release kinetics and control: burst mitigation, sustained delivery, and spatiotemporal dosing

6.7 Interaction with parasite and host cells: adhesion, uptake pathways, and intracellular trafficking

6.8 Overcoming biological barriers: hemodynamic shear, protein corona, RES clearance, and biodistribution

6.9 Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics: circulation half‑life, tissue exposure, and efficacy modeling

6.10 Safety and hemocompatibility: immunotoxicity, off‑target effects, and blood compatibility testing

6.11 Manufacturing and translation: scalable fabrication, quality attributes, and regulatory considerations

6.12 Smart delivery to hematologic niches parasites: RBC, endothelial, and immune cell–directed nanocarriers

6.13 Pharmacokinetics in blood compartments
References


7. Artificial intelligence and machine learning in antiparasitic drug discovery
Shubhradip Singha Roy, Mahek Sultana, Diptangshu Modak, Riddha Saha, Asmita Samadder, Sisir Nandi

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Drugs for the treatment

7.3 Artificial intelligence

7.4 Machine learning

7.5 Artificial intelligence and machine learning in antiparasitic drug discovery

7.6 Conclusion
References
Further reading


8. In silico tools and computational biology in natural product research
Debdiya Majumdar, Ahana Ghosh, Soni Shaw, Sisir Nandi, Asmita Samadder

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Beneficial effects of natural drugs over synthetic drugs

8.3 Methods of natural products discovery

8.4 Pharmacoinformatics

8.5 Case studies In computational natural product discovery

8.6 Conclusion
References
Further reading


9. From integrated control to next‑generation interventions against major hemoprotozoan parasites
Andreas Meryk, Omnia R. Hamed, Abdulsalam Alkhudhayri, Mohamed A. Dkhil

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Comparative epidemiology in endemic regions

9.3 Current integrated control strategies

9.4 Cross‑cutting challenges

9.5 Emerging and innovative strategies

9.6 Translational challenges: rom discovery to implementation

9.7 Future research priorities

9.8 Strategic roadmap toward sustainable control of blood parasites