Plasmodium vivax
Five species of Plasmodium parasites cause human malaria. Most research and elimination efforts focus on P. falciparum that is responsible for half a million deaths every year, while P. vivax remains dramatically understudied despite causing 72-390 million clinical cases worldwide every year. In contrast to P. falciparum, P. vivax cannot be continuously propagated in vitro which limits the scope of studies that can be conducted on this important human pathogen. To overcome the difficulty of studying P. vivax in the laboratory, we use genomic and transcriptomic approaches (including whole genome sequencing, single cell RNA-seq or spatial transcriptomics) to investigate key biological features – such as RBC invasion, pre-erythrocytic development, relapse or immune evasion – using clinical samples (in collaboration with the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia) and/or experimental infections of non-human primates (in collaboration with the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research at the NIH).
Other Plasmodium studies
We have recently expanded our investigations to other Plasmodium species. For example, we are currently analyzing blood samples collected during a large longitudinal study in Mali to better understand host/parasite interactions during P. falciparum infections in children. In addition, we are leveraging the ability to culture P. falciparum in vitro to study the molecular mechanisms underlying RNA stability and translation in Plasmodium spp, with a particular focus on the role of these processes during quiescent developmental stages.
Leishmania parasites
We are also using studies of Leishmania parasites to better understand the mechanisms and roles of RNA stability and post-transcriptional regulation, using a combination of single RNA molecule sequencing (Oxford Nanopore) and single cell RNA sequencing.