[1] Merozoite surface proteins, or MSPs, are important in understanding malaria, a disease caused by protozoans of the genus Plasmodium.

[3] These surface protein complexes are involved in many interactions of the parasite with red blood cells and are therefore an important topic of study for scientists aiming to combat malaria.

[citation needed] The majority of the MSP-1 complex is shed upon entry into the red blood cell, but a small portion of the C-terminus, called MSP-119, is conserved.

[9] Suramin, a drug used to treat African sleeping sickness, has shown moderate success with binding to MSP-1 and its derivatives such as MSP-119 to inhibit red blood cell invasion.

[4] Additionally, synthetic glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) molecules are candidates since they elicit a strong immune response while simultaneously remaining relatively consistent in structure over various malarial strains.