Research Group Information

Contact :	Hans-Peter Beck Swiss Tropical Institute Socinstrasse 57 P.O. Box CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland Email: hans-peter.beck@unibas.ch Phone: +41 61 284 81 16 Fax: +41 61 271 86 54
Molecular Parasitology - Epidemiology The Molecular Parasitology - Epidemiology Group is closely interwoven with the Molecular Diagnostic Group with shared staff and publications. The main focus of the Molecular Parasitology-Epidemiology Research group is the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, with emphasis on basic molecular biology of Plasmodium falciparum and molecular epidemiology of malaria in endemic areas. Our major research areas are: Analysis of stage specifically expressed genes, including the cytoadherence conferring var genes. Analysis andmolecular epidemiology of polymorphic antigens with emphasis on msp2 and up coming vaccine candidate molecules Molecular monitoring of SNPs in known drug resistance associated genes using a parallel micro arrayanalysis. Our mission and vision is to learn to understand this parasite and its interaction with the human host, by studying the molecular biology which supports the parasite's survival, and the epidemiology of infection on a molecular level. With this knowledge we hope to be able to improve current interventions to control the parasite, for example with new drugs or vaccines, or to identify innovative ways of controlling the devastating disease of malaria. By analysing genes differentially expressed during the erythrocytic lifecycle we hope to identify genes encoding essential proteins unique to the parasite (see Biennial Report 03/04). With such studies we hope to understand the mechanisms by which the parasite successfully establishes itself in the host cell. Furthermore, by analysing gene regulation and gene expression of var genes we aim at the identification of vaccine candidates based on these polymorphic antigens parasite (var gene project). The molecular epidemiology of natural occurring infections using msp2 has already proven to be a valuable tool for our understanding of malaria epidemiology. Recently using longitudinal samples in highly endemic areas, we were able to capture the dynamic of infection and to develop a hypothesis how immunity develops in individuals living in endemic areas (see Biennial Report 01/02). In a recent vaccine trial, molecular monitoring also has shown to be an important tool for defining new outcome measurements (see Biennial Report 01/02). We recently improved the information obtained in such studies by quantifying individualparasite broods by real-time PCR. Finally, we have expanded our molecular epidemiological research into the analysis of drug resistance associated mutation in Plasmodium falciparum. In order to be able to perform such studies on epidemiological scale and also to transfer the technology into the endemic countries, we have developed a parallel micro array based system which allows to analyse all resistance associated SNPs at once (Roche Research Foundation) and WTT. In a large EC-funded project we use this technology at hand we conduct community based surveys to capture the prevalence of SNPs within the whole parasite population in order to link these data to observed clinical failure rates at the health facilities. These studies longitudinal can describe the development of drug resistance and also can capture the dynamic of drug resistance (see Biennial Report 03/04)
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