What do antibodies need to do to protect a woman against pregnancy-malaria?
- Research Opportunity
- Honours students
- Department / Centre
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Location
- Doherty Institute
Primary Supervisor | Number | Webpage | |
---|---|---|---|
Dr Elizabeth Aitken | elizabeth.aitken@unimelb.edu.au | (03) 8344 1972 | Personal web page |
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.
Faculty Research Themes
School Research Themes
Research Opportunities
Honours students
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 / Centre
Research Node
Doherty InstituteMDHS Research library
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