Last Updated: 27/05/2025
Malaria immunology and pathogenesis in pregnant women and young children
Objectives
Pregnancy malaria is caused by a distinct parasite binding phenotype, and the primary hypothesis in this study and therefore the main objective is to find out if severe childhood malaria parasites may also have distinct features.
Malaria caused by P. falciparum continues to be a global problem with devastating consequences. A greater understanding of the immunologic and parasitologic factors associated with infection and disease is badly needed, and will accelerate the development of highly protective vaccines for both mothers and children. Pregnancy malaria is associated with low birth weight, maternal anemia, and gestational hypertension, and both inflammation and the fetal response to infection may contribute to these poor outcomes. Childhood malaria is a major cause of mortality, and we have found that risk of childhood malaria is related to in utero exposure to pregnancy malaria, as well as other host factors like iron status and constitutive cytokine levels.
Jan 2010 — Dec 2019
$6.22M
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