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Disease Burden, Risk Factors And Treatment Of Knowlesi Malaria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$95,564.00
Summary
Plasmodium knowlesi is a form of monkey malaria recently found to also cause increasing numbers of natural infections in humans in South-East Asia. This research will describe the burden of P. knowlesi malaria in an area of Malaysian Borneo. The risk factors for acquiring P. knowlesi malaria will be assessed. Finally the optimal treatment for non-severe cases of P. knowlesi and P. vivax malaria will also be evaluated by comparing the 2 currently recommended anti-malarial medications in Malaysia.
The transmission of malaria is dependent on gametocytes, the sexual stages of parasite development that are taken up by mosquitoes when feeding on an infected person. While gametocytes are not responsible for disease symptoms, it is clear that malaria eradication is not be possible without an understanding of their biology and the tools to prevent transmission. My research focuses on understanding the biology of gametocytes and identifying new drug targets for transmission blocking strategies.
The Molecular Epidemiology Of Malaria Transmission In The Solomon Islands
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$69,098.00
Summary
The recent dramatic reduction in malaria burden has prompted a shift from control to elimination and aims to interrupt malaria transmission itself. Achieving this requires the development of set tools that directly target transmission. Little is known about the epidemiology of malaria transmission in the SW Pacific. The goal of this PhD project is to determine the dynamics of malaria transmission in Solomon Islands using a combination of large epidemiological studies and novel molecular assays.
Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification(LAMP): A Novel Tool For The Diagnosis Of Mixed Malaria Infections In Elimination Settings
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$101,877.00
Summary
The malaria elimination agenda will require the development of novel, field applicable diagnostic tools to detect asymptomatic carriers of P.falciparum and non-falciparum malaria infections. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has been demonstrated to be a novel, sensitive, specific nucleic acid amplification technique. My project aims to optimise LAMP into a high-throughput field applicable molecular diagnostic tool capable of diagnosing malaria in elimination settings
Primaquine Radical Cure Of Plasmodium Vivax Malaria: A Risk-benefit Analysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$122,714.00
Summary
Vivax malaria causes significant morbidity with over 100 million clinical cases each year and can cause a relapsing illness and chronic anaemia. The only available radical cure of P. vivax requires administration of primaquine, which can cause severe haemolysis in some patients. Our research aims to determine the risks and benefits of giving primaquine to cure vivax malaria using data from meta-analyses of published clinical trials and individual patient results from large multicentre trials.
Dissecting The Molecular Basis For Cell Movement And Midgut Colonisation In The Insect Stage Parasite - The Ookinete
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$48,365.00
Summary
Malaria parasites are a leading cause of infant mortality. Despite their global impact, no vaccine exists to prevent malaria disease and resistance to current drugs is prevalent. Cell movement is an essential process for parasite development yet its potential as a drug target remains unexplored. I seek to shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying movement, focused on the motile insect stages. Understanding gained here will support the broader goal to identify targets for transmission-blo ....Malaria parasites are a leading cause of infant mortality. Despite their global impact, no vaccine exists to prevent malaria disease and resistance to current drugs is prevalent. Cell movement is an essential process for parasite development yet its potential as a drug target remains unexplored. I seek to shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying movement, focused on the motile insect stages. Understanding gained here will support the broader goal to identify targets for transmission-blocking development.Read moreRead less
The Impact Of Maternal Nutrition And Depression On Infant Morbidity, Growth And Development In Vulnerable Populations.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$133,351.00
Summary
Malarial infection in pregnant women can lead to serious consequences for the baby including death, low birth weight and bacterial infection. Babies born in the community are more likely to die than babies born in hospital, therefore improving basic medical care for babies at the community level should be an important priority. We aim to evaluate the causes of death and severe illness in newborn infants in Papua New Guinea, and to determine community based strategies to improve these outcomes.
Improving Microvascular Dysfunction In Falciparum Malaria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$132,743.00
Summary
Additional treatments are needed to reduce global malaria mortality. In hospitalised patients with falciparum malaria we will evaluate new methods of assessing blood vessel dysfunction in malaria. We will use these methods to conduct a trial of the safety and efficacy of sodium nitrite, a widely available drug with the potential to treat malaria by increasing nitric oxide and improving blood flow. Our results will inform the design of a larger study of sodium nitrite to treat severe malaria.
The Consequence Of Plasmodium Falciparum Culturing Conditions On Tolerance To Anti-malarial Drugs.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$88,502.00
Summary
Culturing the parasite that causes malaria in the laboratory is essential for research. Variations in how the parasites are cultured will be investigated for their effect on the parasite. We are particularly interested in how different conditions affect the parasites’ response to malaria drugs. By understanding how environmental parameters impact on the parasites and their response to anti-malarial drugs, we will improve our understanding of drug resistance to malaria, thus design better drugs.
Suppression Of Immunity By The Malaria Parasite Antigen Plasmodium Falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein-1 (PfEMP-1)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$96,698.00
Summary
The malaria parasite P. falciparum infects red blood cells and makes the cells put on their surface a protein called PfEMP-1. The parasite can effectively “hide” by constantly changing this protein and making it unrecognizable by the immune system. PfEMP-1 can also suppress the immune system so that it can’t respond adequately to infection. Therefore, understanding PfEMP-1 function is important. I will investigate how PfEMP-1 can do this by looking at its cross talk with the immune system.