Sex in human malaria parasites
- Research Opportunity
- PhD, Masters by Research, Honours, Master of Biomedical Science
- Number of Honour Places Available
- 2
- Department
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Location
- Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute
| Primary Supervisor | Number | Webpage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Matthew Dixon | matthew.dixon@unimelb.edu.au | 8344 2534 | Personal web page |
| Co-supervisor | Number | Webpage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Leann Tilley | Leann Tilley | Personal web page |
Project Details
The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum undergoes a remarkable transformation that allows asexual stage multiplication in a human host and sexual reproduction in a mosquito vector. Gametocyte maturation represents a “bottle neck” in the parasite’s development; inhibition of this process would ablate disease transmission. This transformation sees an amoeboid shaped asexual stage parasite morph into a banana shaped sexual stage parasite, which is essential to disease transmission. Despite the importance of this stage of the parasite we understand very little about its unique biology. This unique shape is driven by the assembly of a membrane complex termed the inner membrane complex and the elaboration of a dense microtubule cytoskeleton that drives the unique gametocyte shape. In this project we will use CRISPR gene editing to create transgenic malaria parasites, which we will study by combing proteomics, molecular and cellular biology techniques with super resolution microscopy to define the molecular players driving gametocyte development. Understanding how gametocytes mature is fundamental to the development of effective means of combating this debilitating disease.
Faculty Research Themes
School Research Themes
Infection & Immunity, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease
Research Opportunities
PhD, Masters by Research, Honours, Master of Biomedical Science
Students who are interested in joining this project will need to consider their elegibility as well as other requirements before contacting the supervisor of this research
Key Contact
For further information about this research, please contact a supervisor.
Department
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Research Group / Unit / Centre
Tilley laboratory: Measuring and modelling malaria parasites to develop new antimalarials
Research Node
Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology InstituteMDHS Research library
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