Host-like conditions validate nutrient transport as an antimalarial drug target

Antimalarial drug discovery largely relies on nutrient-rich media that may obscure physiologically relevant targets. In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Molina et al.¹ validate the plasmodial surface anion channel as essential for Plasmodium falciparum survival under nutrient-restricted conditions, demonstrating how physiological media can expose druggable biology overlooked by standard screening approaches.