Objective
An effective malaria vaccine is needed, particularly against P. falciparum as this species causes more human mortality than all other eukaryotic pathogens combined. An understanding of natural selection operating on parasites in local endemic populations can enable understanding of core molecular mechanisms of global relevance. The objectives are to
- Advance understanding of alternative pathways of erythrocyte invasion by malaria parasites
- Advance understanding of immune evasion by malaria parasites
- Identify optimal combinations of parasite proteins as malaria vaccine candidates
- Develop the interface between population genomic and functional studies of malaria parasites
The research programme will take an integrated approach to understanding pathogen adaptation, by designing experiments that are based on analysis at the molecular, functional, and population levels.
(i) Population genetic analyses of P. falciparum in sites of contrasting endemicity in West Africa, to finely determine signatures of selection with high-resolution throughout the genome, and help refine hypotheses on mechanisms used by merozoites to invade erythrocytes and evade acquired immune responses.
(ii) Experimental culture analysis of merozoite invasion into erythrocytes to identify the receptor-ligand interactions used by different parasite populations ex vivo. Novel receptor knockdown assays on cultured erythrocytes will be employed, and parasite adaptation experiments conducted to identify constraints on the use of alternative invasion pathways
(iii) Innovative approaches to select individual parasites and characterise cell tropism, transcript profiles, and genome sequences. This is aimed to validate population level findings and revolutionise approaches to genetics and phenotyping of parasites in the future. Candidate molecule discoveries will be taken forwards to receptor-ligand interaction assays, antibody inhibition and immuno-epidemiological studies.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases malaria
- social sciences sociology demography mortality
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2011-ADG_20110310
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
WC1E 7HT LONDON
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.