Editorial: Filling the research gaps of malaria pathobiology

Malaria remains a formidable global health crisis, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives each year 31 despite intensive intervention (World Health 2024). The landscape of this tropical 32 infection is further complicated by the rise of potentially fatal zoonotic malaria transmission in 33 Southeast Asia, which presents distinct transmission dynamics and pathobiology (Cox-Singh et al., 34 2010;Lau et al., 2016;Lee et al., 2022a;Lee et al., 2022b;Masse et al., 2025). The parasite's 35 sophisticated lifecycle, high adaptability to stress, and its uncanny ability to remodel host 36 environments present a moving target for eradication efforts (Fowkes et al., 2024;Balmer et al., 37 2025) This Research Topic brings together a concise yet impactful collection of works that address 67 critical voids in our understanding of Plasmodium biology. From the molecular-exploring the 68 essentiality of MKT1 domain proteins and the therapeutic potential of purine antimetabolites-to the 69 epidemiological, where serological data reveals the hidden persistence of malaria, these works 70 underscore a singular truth: filling research gaps requires a multi-disciplinary lens. By bridging the 71 gap between basic molecular machinery and complex host-parasite dynamics, this special topic 72 provides a roadmap for the next generation of antimalarial strategies and malaria management. 73