What do antibodies need to do to protect a woman against pregnancy-malaria?

Summary This project will involve measuring complement binding antibodies towards placental malaria antigen using plate-based immunoassays in samples from pregnant women and/or individuals from Phase I vaccine trials, and analysing if they are protective or if they are generated.

Project Details

Pregnant women are susceptible to malaria and though we know which antigen women’s antibodies need to recognise, we don’t know the most efficient way for these antibodies to protect women. Antibodies may confer protection by interacting with complement. This project will involve measuring complement binding antibodies towards placental malaria antigen using plate-based immunoassays in samples from pregnant women and/or individuals from Phase I vaccine trials, and analysing if they are protective or if they are generated. This will help us identify the role of complement binding antibodies in protection, information needed to effectively design and evaluate a pregnancy-malaria vaccine.