OVERVIEW
Malaria parasites are obligate intracellular parasites that must navigate two entirely different hosts during their complex lifecycle: the mosquito and the human. Overcoming myriad obstacles, completing sexual development and going through massive rounds of replication, the malaria parasite undergoes myriad metamorphoses during its lifecycle, a single cell constantly changing from caterpillar to butterfly! Despite decades of research and application of the state-of-the-art technologies now possible with malaria, there is still no licensed vaccine and diagnosis of malaria in the field is still hit and miss. Research in the Baum lab aims to bring the combined tools of molecular and cellular biology along with vaccine innovation to malaria and be part of the solution. We are developing new vaccine strategies that will make immunisations cheaper and more effective, we are working with engineers to make new point of care diagnostics that don't just tell you whether you've got malaria but also communicate where the infection maps to and whether the infection might transmit. Finally, our work is always rooted in fundamental cell biology - the parasite is an ancient single celled organism, superbly adapted for its infectious journey. If we understand how it works, we can devise strategies to stop it dead in its tracks. For more information check out our website: www.baumlab.com