Wednesday Colloquia

Understanding host-parasite interactions in malaria: How far have we succeeded?

by Prof. Shobhona Sharma (ex-DBS, TIFR)

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 from to (Asia/Kolkata)
at Lecture Theatre ( AG-66 )
TIFR
Description
Malaria kills about 400,000 children annually and thus continues to play a role in human evolution. No effective malaria vaccine exists, and diagnosis is inefficient. The main effector arm is chemotherapy, but development of drug-resistance is a menace. The mere presence of the parasite in the host is not necessarily reflective of pathology. Indeed, in endemic areas, immunity to malaria disease develops over time, and is concomitant with the presence of the parasite. Therefore, it is vital to understand this complex host-parasite nexus. In TIFR we have addressed questions regarding immunity in malaria patients and immune persons, studied parasite biology, and attempted to better antimalarial drug-delivery. In this talk I shall provide glimpses of our research towards the same.