Objective THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMMUNITY TO THE ERYTHROCYTIC STAGES OF THE MALARIA PARASITE, PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM, WITHIN A DEFINED ENDEMIC AREA IN BENIN, WEST AFRICA. THE SPECIFICITY AND FUNCTION OF RESPONDING T CELLS WILL BE STUDIED WITH REFERENCE TO RESPONSES WHICH CORRELATE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT EITHER OF THE PATHOLOGY OF THIS DISEASE OR WITH PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY. THE PHERNOTYPE AND FUNCTION OF T CELLS RESPONDING TO ENTIGENS OF P. FALCIPARUM WILL BE COMPARED AMONGST INDIVIDUALS OF DIFFERING AGE, DISEASE AND IMMUNE STATUS. THESE INDIVIDUALS WILL ALSO BE STUDIED FOR THEIR RESPONSES TO SELECTED DEFINED ANTIGENS (MSA-1, MSA-2, AMA-1 AND S-ANTIGENS) AND TO OTHER PROTEINS OF THE PARASITES. THE EFFECTS OF IMMUNE PRESSURE ON VARIABILITY ON THESE ANTIGENS WILL BE INVESTIGATED TOGETHER WITH A STUDY OF THE PEPTIDES WHICH ARE PREESENTED TO T CELLS. THIS WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE PEPTIDES RECOGNISED BY IMMUNE CELLS ARE THOSE AFFECTED BY IMMUNE PRESSURE AND WHETHER THESE ANTIGENS ARE SUITABLE CANDIDATES FOR INCORPORATION IN A MALARIA VACCINE. Fields of science medical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseasesmalarianatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsmedical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunologymedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsvaccinesmedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepathology Programme(s) FP3-STD 3 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the life sciences and technologies for developing countries, 1990-1994 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderungder Wissenschaften e.V. Address Stübeweg 51 79108 Freiburg Germany See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (5) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Centre National Hospitalier et Universitaire Cotonou Benin EU contribution € 0,00 Address Cotonou See on map MRC National Institute for Medical Research United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address The ridgeway mill hil NW7 1AA London See on map Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Netherlands EU contribution € 0,00 Address 157,lange kleiweg 2280 GH Rijswijk See on map United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas's Hospitals United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address London bridge SE1 7EH London See on map Université Nationale de Bénin Benin EU contribution € 0,00 Address Cotonou See on map