Malaria infects millions of people worldwide causing serious morbidity and mortality. However, individuals do not develop natural immunity to malaria even after years of exposure to the parasite. There have be a multitude of attempts to make a vaccine , with products going to clinical trials, but no vaccine is able to provide adequate protection for the long term. We recently showed that Plasmodium had evolved a mechanism to kill cells that protect in the long-term. This study will investigate t ....Malaria infects millions of people worldwide causing serious morbidity and mortality. However, individuals do not develop natural immunity to malaria even after years of exposure to the parasite. There have be a multitude of attempts to make a vaccine , with products going to clinical trials, but no vaccine is able to provide adequate protection for the long term. We recently showed that Plasmodium had evolved a mechanism to kill cells that protect in the long-term. This study will investigate the mechanism by which the parasite kill these cells, so that novel therapies can be designed.Read moreRead less
Malaria In Pregnancy: Exposure, Immunity And Complications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$549,723.00
Summary
Increasing malaria control efforts may lead to lack of exposure needed to develop immunity. We will use plasma samples from Africa, PNG and Asia, and measures of immunity we have developed, to discover (1) which are the most important protective immune responses and (2) how are these affected by changing exposure or new drugs. Overall, we hope to identify markers of protective immunity that can be used to identify women at most risk of malaria in pregnancy and its complications
I am a public health physician and medical parasitologist determining the mechanism of clinical immunity to malaria, and working on the development of vaccines and therapies against malaria.
Surface Antigens Of Plasmodium Falciparum-infected Erythrocytes And Immunity To Malaria In Humans
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$599,180.00
Summary
Malaria is a leading cause of death globally, particularly among children. Malaria parasites infect red blood cells and multiply inside them, resulting in severe illness if left untreated. Effective treatments are limited and currently there is no vaccine. In human studies, we aim to identify the target antigens of immune responses and immune mechanisms that protect against malaria. With this knowledge, vaccines can be designed against malaria to prevent serious illness and death.
Role Of NK Receptors In Susceptibility And Resistance To Human Malaria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$546,588.00
Summary
Malaria kills 2 million children every year. However, many eventually become resistant to the disease. What causes some kids to die, and how others become resistant, is unknown. We believe that genes for Natural Killer molecules in the immune system can protect people against malaria, but can also over-react in the wrong way and make things worse. We plan to investigate the role of Natural Killer genes in causing disease and also protecting in young children in Papua New Guinea against malaria.
The Impact Of Reduced Plasmodium Falciparum And Plasmodium Vivax Transmission On The Epidemiology Of Malaria And The Acquisition Of Antigen-specific Recall Responses In Children From Papua New Guinea.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,166.00
Summary
Malaria represents a significant global health burden in endemic countries. Individuals gradually develop a level of immunity to the clinical symptoms of malaria as a result of continued exposure throughout their lifetime. Efforts to implement effective malaria control strategies are increasing, thereby reducing exposure. This project will investigate how such strategies will impact on the development of immunity to malaria and the amount of clinical disease observed in different age groups.
Mechanisms And Targets Of Antibody-complement Interactions That Neutralize Malaria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$647,977.00
Summary
Our project aims to identify immune mechanisms that neutralize malaria from the moment of inoculation by a mosquito, before infection can become established to prevent the development of malaria disease. Furthermore, we will discover specific targets of protective immune responses. We expect this project will provide major new advances in our knowledge of human immunity to P. falciparum malaria, one of the world’s most significant causes of mortality and morbidity, and we will use this knowledge
Understanding The Development Of Humoral Immunity To Malaria Merozoites
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$642,804.00
Summary
We will examine the acquisition of antibody responses to various P. falciparum surface antigens and their association with reduced risk of re-infection and symptomatic malaria in a treatment re-infection study of children from a malaria endemic area of Papua New Guinea. The effector mechanisms by which protective antibodies control parasite burden will be idendify. Defining the antigenic targets and effector mechanisms of immunity is essential for developing anti-malarial vaccines.
Dr. Ivo Mueller is global leader in the study of non-African malaria with a special focus on the SW Pacific and on P. vivax. His research at the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute focuses on population-based studies of host-vector-parasite interactions and their effect on burden and transmission of different malaria parasites as well as improving treatment & prevention of malaria in children and pregnant mothers and thereby contributing to the development of new tools to control and eliminate malaria