Scientists have found out there are a number of compounds used to treat cancer that can treat malaria, as well.

They've identified several compounds from a group of protein kinase inhibitors that can inhibit malaria growth without harming its host.  These compounds are on clinical trial to treat leukemia and myeloma.

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Malaria has been around for hundreds of years and this disease has afflicted over 200 million people in Asia and Africa.

This is because malaria has the ability to evade attack. Some of the parasites like Plasmodium Falciparium, has even developed a way to outsmart the most effective anti-malarial drugs.

Emily Derbyshire from Duke University explained that protein kinase inhibitors work as a magic bullet because it can suppress multiple malaria proteins at once.

Derbyshire has identified protein kinase inhibitors composed of a group of enzyme blocking molecules that could restrain malaria even before symptoms start.

She want to focus on treatments that can act early and slow the spread of malaria.

Derbyshire and her colleagues aim to deviate from standard malaria therapies in that they want to find a treatment for malaria before it even multiply.

Improving drugs given to malaria patients can lessen the opportunities for parasites to develop resistance, she added.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium, a single-celled parasite that spread from person to person through mosquito bites.

Scientists said when an infected mosquito bites, the parasites in the mosquito saliva travel to the victim's liver where they grow and invade red blood cells.