Malaria is a serious global health problem, with pregnant women and children particularly at risk.
Strategies to protect people against malaria by vaccination are critically dependent on understanding how the immune response occurs naturally. Individuals with life-long exposure to Plasmodium falciparum develop immunity that protects against severe malaria.
It has long been appreciated that IgG antibodies afford immune protection. However, the mechanisms by which antibodies protect remain uncertain. In particular, there is a paucity of studies investigating the interaction of antibody-opsonised parasites with the receptor for IgG: the Fc-gamma receptor (FcgR).
FcgRs are expressed by all leukocytes except T cells and play a critical role in pathogen clearance as well as modulating inflammatory responses.
This project aims to elucidate the cellular mechanisms by which FcgR balance pathogen clearance with inflammation. Human leukocyte subsets, which express different FcgR, are being characterised for their inflammatory and anti-parasite responses towards IgG-opsonised P. falciparum parasites.
Publications
2011
2006
2000