I run a research group at LSHTM using molecular biology and parasite genetics tools to study malaria parasites. I primarily work with the malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi cultured in human red blood cells, a parasite which infects macaques in SE Asia and is a common cause of malaria in people in this region.
I undertook my PhD in Molecular Parasitology at Imperial College London and my postdoc working at the Francis Crick Institute (formerly National Institute for Medical Research). During this time I developed new tools and techniques to study rodent malaria parasites and two species of human malaria parasite (P. falciparum and P. knowlesi). My main focus during this work has been addressing mechanisms by which the parasites move into and invade host cells and tissues in both mosquito and human hosts. This has helped to determine the role of proteins involved in cell signalling, molecular motors and host cell recognition and binding.
I moved to the LSHTM in 2015 to establish a new group supported by a Medical Research Council Career Development Award and since this time have built on the P. knowlesi research niche to create cutting edge tools for genome-editing, and applied them to study the biology of invasion as well as a host of applied tools for vaccine, drug and diagnostic development. I currently hold two Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards to study P. knowlesi invasion and transmission, as well as being a member of the OptiViVax consortium to develop and optimise multistage vaccines against P. vivax.
Affiliations
Centres
Teaching
I am module organiser for Advanced Training in Molecular Biology (3158) as well as running the narrative lab practical series. I am also a tutor and Programme Committee member for the MSc Medical Parasitology course. I contribute to lectures and supervise summer projects across the Immunology of Infectious Disease, Medical Parasitology and Medical Microbiology courses.
I am also a co-Director of the OneZoo Centre for Doctoral Training, jointly run by Cardiff University, Aberystwyth University, Queen’s University Belfast, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Research
I leads a research group focusing on malaria, with a particular interest in Plasmodium knowlesi, a zoonotic malaria parasites from South East Asia.
My work focuses on:
i) Development and use of tools and techniques for experimental genetics in P. knowlesi
ii) Understanding how malaria parasites invade red blood cells and particularly how P. knowlesi is able to invade human red blood cells.
iii) Development of methods to use P. knowlesi as a surrogate to study aspects of P. vivax biology.
iv) Understanding the pathways that lead to commitment to formation of malaria transmission stages, as well as establishment of the P. knowlesi transmission model.
I currently hold two Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards to study P. knowlesi invasion and transmission, as well as being a member of the OptiViVax consortium to develop and optimise multistage vaccines against P. vivax.
P. knowlesi is a significant issue for Malaysia, now accounting for all of the locally acquired cases of malaria. I also collaborate closely with researchers in Malaysia after developing links during a Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship.
Selected Publications
