Location:
The Kirby Institute Level 6 Seminar Room Wallace Wurth Building UNSW Australia Sydney NSW 2052
Open to
All
Contact for enquiries
Rata Joseph +61 (0)2 9385 0900 rjoseph@kirby.unsw.edu.au
The Kirby Institute is pleased to present:
Mr David Khoury-Post-Doc Fellow- Infection Analytics Program, Kirby Institute
"Understanding drug and immune-mediated control in malaria infection."
Abstract:
In the fight against malaria globally, the major focuses of research are on the development of a vaccine and new therapies to reduce mortality and ultimately the spread of malaria. It is typically held that parasite control in immune individuals and under drug treatment is mediated by the faster removal of infected red blood cells. However, almost no research exists exploring the in vivo mechanisms of parasite control in immunity or drug treatment. We have developed novel in vivo and mathematical modelling approaches to quantify the means of control of parasites. We applied these techniques to determine the means by which drug treatment, innate immunity and adaptive immune control parasite growth. Our findings reveal a remarkable misunderstanding about control in malaria infections.
Bio:
My background is in applied mathematics, and I have worked on modelling the within host dynamics of malaria infection during my PhD at UNSW. I hold a post-doctoral position in the Infection Analytics Program.