Functional Studies On Two Essential Rhoptry Proteins Of The Malaria Parasite
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$470,894.00
Summary
Malaria is one of the most important and deadly infectious diseases in the world, causing 250 million cases and nearly one million deaths each year. Traditionally, drugs and insecticides have been used to treat the disease and control its spread. They have become much less effective and there now exist untreatable cases of malaria. Alternative control measures are urgently needed. An understanding of how proteins essential to parasite survival operate may identify novel targets for therapeutic i ....Malaria is one of the most important and deadly infectious diseases in the world, causing 250 million cases and nearly one million deaths each year. Traditionally, drugs and insecticides have been used to treat the disease and control its spread. They have become much less effective and there now exist untreatable cases of malaria. Alternative control measures are urgently needed. An understanding of how proteins essential to parasite survival operate may identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention against this devastating disease.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Parasite Adhesins In Plasmodium Falciparum Invasion Of Human Erythrocytes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,434.00
Summary
Invasion of red blood cells is essential for the survival of malaria parasite within the human host. Red blood cell invasion is mediated by recognition of parasite proteins to specific blood surface receptors. My research focuses on understanding these parasite protein-host receptor interactions with emphasis on translating these findings as novel approaches for the prevention and treatment of malaria.
Understanding Whole Cell Protein Trafficking In Plasmodium Parasites
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$466,492.00
Summary
I am a molecular biologist and bioinformatician studying the cell biology of human parasites. I have expertise in the bioinformatic analysis of parasite genomes to predict where proteins will reside in cell, how they participate in metabolic pathways, and how they might be suitable as targets for drugs and vaccines to control parasitic diseases. This fellowship will investigate the cell biology of Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, using computational and biochemical tools to ....I am a molecular biologist and bioinformatician studying the cell biology of human parasites. I have expertise in the bioinformatic analysis of parasite genomes to predict where proteins will reside in cell, how they participate in metabolic pathways, and how they might be suitable as targets for drugs and vaccines to control parasitic diseases. This fellowship will investigate the cell biology of Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, using computational and biochemical tools to characterise drug and vaccine targets.Read moreRead less
T-follicular Helper Cell Subsets That Induce Protective Anti-Plasmodium Falciparum Antibodies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,262.00
Summary
Malaria claims at least half a million lives each year, the majority of them in children under the age of 5 years. In order to development effective vaccines malaria it is critically important that we increase our understanding of the key mechanisms governing the induction of protective immune responses in naturally exposed populations. This project will examine the role of one important cell subset - T-follicular helper cells - in the development of immunity against malaria.
Signalling During Red Blood Cell Invasion By Plasmodium Falciparum
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,414.00
Summary
Malaria is one of the world's most devastating infectious diseases and is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium falciparum. AMA1 is a parasite surface protein crucial for blood cell invasion but how it works is not understood. We are investigating if AMA1 plays a role in helping the parasite sense when it has contacted a blood cell and should invade. Discovering how parasites attach to and invade bloods cells is a priority for the development of anti-parasite drugs and vaccines
New Antimalarial Drug Leads Targeting Multiple Species And Life Cycle Stages
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$818,477.00
Summary
Malaria causes ~200 million clinical cases and >430,000 deaths annually. Prevention and treatment relies on drugs, however malaria parasite drug resistance is an enormous problem. To address this issue, and aim towards eliminating malaria, we need to develop new drugs. This project addresses this important health need by investigating the ability of new chemical compounds, developed at CSIRO, to kill human-infecting malaria parasites during different parts of their complicated lifecycles.
We will investigate malaria, a parasitic disease that kills over 2 million people a year. We will explore how the parasite identifies, invades and remodels the host cells in which it lives, scavenging nutrients and hiding from the immune system. We will characterize the proteins involved in these critical events, as they are potential targets for drugs and vaccines. We will study how parasites cause disease and how the host responds to infection.
Novel Serological Tools To Aid Malaria Elimination In The Asia-Pacific
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,362,749.00
Summary
In 2014 Asia-Pacific leaders pledged a malaria free Asia-Pacific by 2030. We will contribute to this goal by developing novel antibody detection tests that can identify people with current and recent past infections. We will then evaluate the utility of these tests both in mass screening and treatment programs and for the rapid delineation of areas where transmission persists from those where it has been eliminated. This will address two major roadblocks to malaria elimination in our region.
Protecting The Efficacy Of Antimalarial Therapies With Novel Approaches To Suppress The Emergence Of Drug Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,768.00
Summary
The global campaign to eliminate malaria is under serious threat from the continuing emergence and spread of Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to antimalarial drugs. However in acquiring resistance to one drug, the parasite can become more susceptible to other antimalarials. This project aims to 1) test the ability of drug pairs with opposing selection forces to suppress resistance in vitro and 2) define the physiological and molecular basis of these opposing evolutionary forces.