Research
Research
Our main research interest is to isolate and characterize transporter proteins encoded by Plasmodium falciparum and other pathogenic organisms. To characterize these proteins by function the Xenopus oocyte heterologous expression system has proved very successful and is well established as a tool in the laboratory. This methodology has been used to identify new drug targets for P. falciparum (the hexose transporter). Subsequently, we have validated the hexose transporter as a drug target using chemical and genetic approaches, giving impetus to develop high-throughput screening methodologies for the hexose transporter aimed at discovering new antimalarial drugs. We have also studied how existing antimalarials (artemisinins) work and shown that they inhibit the SERCA-pump of P. falciparum, pointing to a new hypothesis for the mechanism of action of this vital class of drug.
Our clinical studies are about the diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment of infections, including P. knowlesi, which is the recently discovered fifth malaria parasite of man. We have established collaboratively proteomic approaches to improve the diagnosis of tuberculosis and sleeping sickness, and developed a rapid assay to diagnose melarsoprol resistance in Trypanosoma brucei gambiense infections. Our group is interested in the question of fluid status and mechanisms of anaemia in infections such as malaria. We have also carried out several antimalarial treatment studies with our main clinical collaborating group in Gabon and are presently studying intravenous artesunate for severe malaria and non-artemisinin combinations for uncomplicated malaria.
Collaborators
Prof. Peter Kremsner (University of Tübingen, Germany), Dr. Pat Bray (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine), Dr.Paulo Abel (Caritas de Angola, Angola), Prof. Richard Haynes (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Dr Christophe Morin (Grenoble, France), Prof. Michael Lanzer (University of Heidelberg, Germany), Professor Kiaran Kirk (Australian National University), Dr Kelly Chibale (University of Capetown Medical School), Prof. Balbir Singh (University Sarawak Malaysia)
