Global Excellence Research Symposium I - Program

Wednesday 27 June

13:15

Welcome [Lars Hviid]

13:30

Session 1 - The var genes [chair: Thomas Lavstsen]

• Thomas Otto (University of Glasgow, UK): Evolution and diversity of var genes (25+5 min)

• Catherine Merrick (University of Cambridge, UK): RecQ helicases and quadruplex structures in var gene evolution and expression (25+5 min)

15:15

Session 2 - Pathogenesis [chair: Anja TR Jensen]

• Joe Smith (Center for Infectious Disease Research, Seattle): 3D brain microvessel models for the study of cerebral malaria pathogenesis (25+5 min)
• Sam Wassmer (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine): Sequestration, blood-brain barrier impairment and brain swelling in cerebral malaria (25+5 min)
• Elizabeth Aitken (University of Melbourne): Antibody to PfEMP1 and severe malaria in children in Papua New Guinea (10+5 min)
• Anja TR Jensen (CMP): PfEMP1 and severe malaria in African children – a journey in time (15+5 min)

Thursday 28 June

09:00

Session 3 - Intracellular transport of PfEMP1 [Chair: Yvonne Adams]

• Matt Dixon (University of Melbourne): Nano-scale imaging reveals host cell remodelling and knob assembly mechanisms (25 min+5 min)
• Marek Cyrklaff (University of Heidelberg):  Actin-dependent PfEMP1 transport and sickle-cell protection (25 min+5 min)

10:45

Session 4 - PfEMP1 proteins: interactions with cognate receptors [chair: Thor Theander]

• Matt Higgins (University of Oxford): Understanding PfEMP1 function and diversity using structural biology (25 min+5 min)
• J Alexandra Rowe (University of Edinburgh): Using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to study PfEMP1 function (25 min+5 min)

13:15

Session 5 - Molecules at the infected erythrocyte surface [chair: Christian Wang]

• Ioannis Vakonakis (University of Oxford): Dissecting cytoadherence complexes: do all roads lead to knobs? (25 min+5 min)
• Mats Wahlgren (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm):  Targets of Sevuparin during adjunct treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria (25 min+5 min)
• Abdirahman Abdi (KEMRI, Kilifi, Kenya): EPCR is not the major receptor for P. falciparum clinical isolates selected to bind human brain endothelial cells (HBEC-5i) (25 min+5 min)
• Andrew Oleinikov (Florida Atlantic University): Complete library of PfEMP1 domains: screening for receptors, anti-adhesion drugs, vaccine targets (10 min+5 min)

15:30

Session 6 - Infection and immunity I [chair: Jens V Petersen]

• Michelle Gatton (Queensland University of Technology): Influence of PfEMP1 on immunity: insights from a mathematical model (25 min+5 min)
• Mark Travassos (University of Maryland): Using microarrays to identify variant surface antigens critical to natural malaria immunity (25 min+5 min)
• Britta Urban (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine): Cross-reactive antibodies against CIDRα1 (10 min+5 min)
• Lars Hviid (CMP, University of Copenhagen): Chronic Plasmodium falciparum infections and placental malaria (10 min+5 min)

Friday 29 June

09:00

Session 7 - Infection and immunity II [chair: Lea Barfod]

• Silvia Portugal (University of Heidelberg): Malaria immunity, seasonal transmission, and PfEMP1 responses (25 min+5 min)
• Michaela Petter (University Hospital Erlangen, Germany): Expression analyses of virulence-associated genes in experimental human malaria infections (25 min+5 min)
• Rachida Tahar (IRD): Antibody response of children to PfEMP-1 DC13 recombinant protein (10 min+5 min)

10:45

Session 8 - Vaccination and General discussion [chair: Lars Hviid]

• Benoit Gamain (INSERM, Paris): Towards the development of a VAR2CSA-based vaccine: From antigen down-selection to Phase I clinical trial (25 min+5 min)
• Morten Nielsen (CMP; University of Copenhagen): Is a second generation placental malaria vaccine needed before initiating efficacy trials? (15 min+5 min)
• Thomas Lavstsen (CMP; University of Copenhagen): Towards PfEMP1-based interventions against malaria (15 min+5 min)