青蒿素类药物的抗疟作用机制并不明确，是本研究团队多年来始终希望开展的研究工作之一。深入探讨其抗疟机制不仅可以加深对药物的认识，而且对于指导临床合理用药、防止抗药株的产生、发现新的青蒿素抗疟组合、拓宽临床应用等都有重要意义。本课题基于青蒿素类化合物选择性作用于红内期疟原虫的特点，首先聚焦于青蒿素类化合物与疟原虫感染红细胞的相互作用开展工作，通过对青蒿素类化合物在染虫红细胞膜系结构富集行为解析、染虫红细胞内的青蒿素类成分的分布代谢特征分析、青蒿素类对红细胞内疟原虫顶质体铁代谢通路的影响、染虫红细胞直接作用靶标俘获等方面的研究，初步勾勒青蒿素类化合物作用于疟原虫感染红细胞的作用模式、物质基础、核心环节/靶点，力图在青蒿素类化合物抗疟机制研究方面有所发现、有所突破。通过项目实施，旨在夯实研究基础，培育可持续研究方向，培养人才梯队，促生创新性成果，力争使青蒿素类药物这一源于传统中药的创新药物为人类健康做出更大贡献。

Chinese scientist Youyou Tu was awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015 and it is a great historical opportunity for us to regain the international leadership in artemisinin research. The antimalarial mechanism of artemisinins is not clear, and is also one of the big problems we have been hoping to solve for many years. Further uncovering of its antimalarial mechanism will guide us to develop reasonable clinical prescriptions, guard against the generation of drug-resistant strains, discover new types of artemisinin-based combination therapy, and broaden clinical applications.Based on artemisinins selective effects on plasmodium in erythrocyte stage, we firstly will focus on the interaction between artemisinins and infected red blood cells in this subject. Throngh the researchs on accumulation of artemisinins in infected red blood cell membrane structure, distribution and metabolism of artemisinins in infected red cell, the effects of artemisinins on iron metabolism pathway of apicoplast and the direct targets on infected red blood cell , we expect to get a preliminary understanding about how artemisinins act on infected red blood cell. The general plan will be carried out step by step, to solidify the basic research, develop sustainable programs, foster talent echelon formation and occupy the research frontier of artemisinin finally. Our work will facilitate artemisinin, the traditional Chinese medicine derived innovative drug, to contribute more to the human health.