A new system for rapid plasmid integration in Plasmodium parasites

Transfection of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has facilitated greater understanding of the biology of this devastating protozoal pathogen. However, technical limitations have restricted the options available for functional analysis. A recent study by Nkrumah and colleagues provides a powerful new transfection tool, the Bxb1 integrase system. In this article, we outline the potential of this system, describing how it enables direct site-specific integration and the rapid generation of stably transformed populations that express uniform levels of introduced transgenes.