The patent was awarded recently after the Thai team applied four years ago when Yongyuth was a chief of the protein study group at the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotec).

"This shows that Thai scientists are second to none in terms of working against malaria," Yongyuth said, adding that Biotec was now developing anti-malaria drugs using the chemical compounds his team had discovered.

Yongyuth said the patent, from the US Patent and Trademark Office (US-PTO), also indicated a method to make use of the chemical compound in the enzyme.

Yongyuth said his team also applied for a patent licence from the Thai Department of Intellectual Property, but it has yet to announce its decision on the matter.

Besides Yongyuth, two leading scientists in the team were Sumalee Kamchon-wongpaisan and Bongkoch Tarnchompoo.

Yongyuth said the discovery by his team was "a breakthrough" since it was the first time the chemical structure of "pre-mutated" enzyme DHFR, the enzyme that causes the parasite to resist drugs, had been discovered.

He said the biggest challenge for scientists in fighting malaria was to limit the ability of the parasite to mutate to resist anti-malaria drugs.

Knowing the structure of the parasite before mutation, he said, would lead to the development of more effective drugs that could directly target the enzyme causing the mutation.

Caused by a parasite carried by the anopheles mosquito, malaria has been a global threat for a long time. The parasite has always been able to develop a tolerance to whatever anti-malaria drugs scientists have developed.

Approximately 500 million people are afflicted by malaria around the world each year.

Pennapa Hongthong

The Nation