Zarna Rajeshkumar Pala

International scholars represent a vital economic force in the United States, contributing an estimated $42.9 billion to the economy and supporting more than 355,000 jobs during the 2024–25 academic year. But navigating the U.S. immigration system as an international student or postdoctoral researcher can be a long and complex journey.

Highlights Plasmin, the effector protease of the human fibrinolytic system, degrades fibrin, extracellular matrix proteins, complement proteins and immunoglobulins. Plasmodium and other vector-borne pathogens co-opt plasmin to facilitate tissue invasion and dissemination, and to evade immune responses in the human host and the arthropod vector. Evolutionarily distant pathogens share conserved mechanisms for the acquisition and activation of plasmin.