Tham Lab

Q: Complement evasion strategies of malaria parasites

In the human host, complement regulators modulate the complement cascade to protect self-tissue from indiscriminate complement attack. Pathogens, on the other hand actively recruit host regulators with the foremost intention of inhibiting the complement cascade to prevent pathogen destruction. The acquisition of host complement regulators is the most widely used strategy for complement evasion among viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. This project will involve identifying which complement regulators are recruited by malaria parasites and how this prevents killing. It will also investigate the role of parasite surface proteins in recruitment of human complement regulators. This project will provide the first identification of complement evasion strategies employed by the malaria parasite.

Q: Pathways of entry for malaria parasite into human blood

Being an obligate intracellular parasite, malaria parasites have to invade red blood cells in order to survive within the human host. One essential step within invasion is the recognition of human red blood cells by malaria parasites, a process involving an intimate interaction between parasite adhesins and red blood cells receptors. This project will identify novel parasite adhesins involved in red blood cell recognition and how they function in the dynamic process of entry. We can exploit this information to rationally design inhibitors or antibodies to prevent malaria parasite invasion into human red blood cells.

Q: Human monoclonal antibodies against malaria infection

Our lab is interested in identifying novel parasite adhesins involved in red blood cell recognition and how they function in the dynamic process of parasite entry.This project will involve characterisation of human monoclonal antibodies to identify neutralising antibodies that effectively inhibit parasite invasion. We will use a wide range of biochemical, structural and molecular techniques to characterise the mechanism of inhibition. We can exploit this crucial information to rationally design a potential vaccine to prevent malaria parasite invasion into human red blood cells.

About the lab

Malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest parasitic diseases. Our team’s research has made fundamental discoveries in novel host-pathogen interactions and examined their molecular and structural mechanisms to drive rational design of new therapies against malaria.

The Tham lab studies parasite adhesins required for entry into human red cells, parasite surface proteins that bind to human complement proteins for immune evasion and novel parasite proteins involved in fertilisation in the mosquito.

Our work intersects with the fields of structural biology, nanobody technology, immuno-epidemiology and molecular parasitology. The overarching aim is to rationally design and generate new inhibitors or antibodies that block these interactions and stop recurrent malaria infection in humans and block transmission from mosquitoes.

Our mission

To understand mechanisms of malaria parasite entry and fertilisation for the development of novel interventions to stop infection and transmission of the malaria parasites.