Immunobiology of sexual stage antigens of Plasmodium falciparum parasites

Bismarck is a parasite biologist with an interest in host-parasite interactions and immunity to parasitic infections. During this Fellowship he aims to determine which groups of stevor genes are commonly expressed in P. falciparum gametocytes in sick children, and to produce antigens from them. These antigens will then be used to test the plasma of children with strong responses and establish whether these are the children with few or no gametocytes. He will work closely with Dr Britta Urban at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Dr Colin Sutherland at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Bismarck’s work has the potential to identify targets of anti-gametocyte immunity which could be important in transmission-blocking vaccine development.

This grant was awarded under the scheme's previous name of Training Fellowships in Public Health and Tropical Medicine.