Monocyte and macrophage function in malaria disease severity

Phil is a malariologist who wants to understand how children acquire immunity to severe malaria early in life. Resistance to severe disease is frequently observed after just one or two infections, and does not correlate with a child's ability to control parasite density. Immunity to severe malaria is therefore an acquired mechanism of disease tolerance. Phil's group at the University of Edinburgh are asking whether malaria can rewire the innate immune system to reduce inflammation and generate disease resistance. By studying mechanisms of innate immunity to malaria, the group aim to develop novel anti-disease vaccines.