New insights into Plasmodium falciparum liver stage research

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Talk abstract:

Malaria remains a significant parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes resulting in over 220 million clinical cases and half a million deaths annually. With increasing resistance of parasites and mosquitoes to current interventions, there is a pressing need to provide innovative strategies to combat and eradicate this disease. Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) parasites are responsible for the highest disease burden. During the initial asymptomatic liver stages, intracellular parasites undergo massive replication before release into the circulation, associated with the emergence of clinical symptoms and complications. Knowledge of Pf-liver stage biology is incomplete but essential for rational design of drugs/vaccines. Research is restricted to the use of in vitro liver cultures with low parasite infection rates (<0.1-5%) or imperfect animal models. I will address this knowledge gap by discussing novel host sources such cells derived from hepatic organoids and porcine hepatocytes as well as shedding light into parasitic factors involved in host entry and development.

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