Malaria|Research

• Heath Group

  Bill’s group’s cellular immunology research currently focuses on understanding killer T cell function with particular reference to improved vaccination strategies and understanding malarial disease.

  • Projects
  • Lab Team

  Other work areas include:Immunology

  

  Professor Bill Heath
  Laboratory Head

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Current Projects

• Malaria and tissue resident memory T cells (TRM) in the Liver

  Tissue resident memory T cells (TRM) are a newly described subtype of memory CD8 T cells that do not recirculate, but remain in the organ they formed in long after infection has been cleared. By staying in the area most likely targeted by the pathogen in subsequent reinfections, TRM have the potential to elicit faster, more focused responses than recirculating memory T cell subsets.

  Bill’s group’s research focuses on the study of liver TRM and their contribution to protection against parasite infection, with the aim of exploring new ways to control liver stage malaria based on the enhancement of TRM function.

• Preventing malarial disease development through liver resident memory

  Malaria is a deadly disease that causes more than 600,000 deaths each year, the majority in children. Currently there is no effective vaccine for malaria, though several are in development. Recent work has identified a population of long-lived memory cells that are tissue resident tissue-resident memory (TRM). This population appears to provide the first and best line of defence against infections in peripheral tissues such as the skin. Bill’s group has evidence for a resident population of CD8 T cells in the liver and is now examining their potential in protection against malaria sporozoite infection.

• Intravital imaging of malaria-specific T cell responses in the brain (in conjunction with the Muelle

  Activated CD8 T cells play a critical role in murine experimental cerebral malaria associated with Plasmodium berghei infection. The mechanism underlying cerebral malaria pathogenesis is not well understood. To address this, Bill’s group has developed a novel system to image the brain in live animals undergoing malarial infection using 2-photon laser scanning microscopy.

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Lab Team

• Melanie Damtsis

  Research Assistant
• Dr Gayle Davey

  Senior Research Officer
• Dr Daniel Fernández-Ruiz

  Senior Research Officer
• Dr Lynette Beattie

  Senior Research Officer
• Lauren Holz

  Research Officer
• Zhengyu (Jeff) Ge

  PhD Candidate
• Yu Cheng (Gordon) Chua

  PhD Candidate
• Thiago Maass Steiner

  PhD Candidate
• Shirley Le

  Masters student

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• Dunstan Group

  Sarah’s group is using host and pathogen genomics to better understand infectious diseases. They perform genome-wide association studies of the host, genomic studies of the pathogen, and investigate the interaction of both genomes in tuberculosis, enteric fever and malaria patients.

  • Projects

  Other work areas include:Enteric infections, Tuberculosis

  

  Associate Professor Sarah Dunstan
  Principal Research Fellow

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• Mueller Group

  Research in Scott’s group is focused on examining immune responses to both acute and chronic viral infections. A particular emphasis on T cell responses and interactions with antigen presenting cells and lymphoid tissue stromal cells is currently driving the group, as well as an interest in neuro-immune interactions.

  • Projects
  • Lab Team

  Other work areas include:Immunology

  

  Professor Scott Mueller
  Laboratory Head

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• Rogerson Group

  Stephen’s laboratory studies the pathogenesis and immunology of infection with the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in humans. Their laboratory studies are linked to field studies, and they collaborate with leading malaria groups in Africa, Asia and Papua New Guinea. 

  • Projects
  • Lab Team

  

  Professor Stephen Rogerson
  Head of the Malaria Laboratory

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