Malaria is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which are mainly transmitted to the vertebrate host by female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles.
Malaria remains one of the biggest health problems in large parts of the world.
In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, it is currently estimated that there are more than 200 million clinical cases annually and that about 2 million people die from the disease every year. Our research interests in malaria are directed towards the elucidation of mechanisms governing host cell adhesion and invasion. Malaria sporozoites have the unique capacity to invade two different types of target cells, salivary glands of the mosquito vector and hepatocytes of the vertebrate host. We are interested in the identification of sporozoite-encoded ligands and host cell receptors required for invasion. We are employing a combination of molecular and biochemical approaches to elucidate the components of this process.