Our laboratory couples molecular parasitology and structural biology to study the malaria parasite (Plasmodium).
Our research focuses upon:
1. Translational Regulation During Parasite Transmission.
Our group seeks to understand how specific protein/RNA complexes are used by Plasmodium to produce and maintain a poised state of infectivity to ensure transmission between mosquitoes and mammals.
We focus our efforts on answering mechanistic questions about this process as it occurs in sexual stage gametocytes and mosquito-transmissible sporozoites.
This work is supported by an R56 from the NIAID.
2. Cryo TEM Structural Studies.
In collaboration with Susan Hafenstein, we are using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo TEM) to study small proteins that are important for Plasmodium transmission and development.
This work was supported by a R01 from the NIGMS.
