Our research focuses on immunity, vaccines, new treatments and clinical studies of malaria.
Malaria is among the world’s leading health problems, particularly affecting young children and pregnant women. Additionally, malaria severely impedes education, equity and economic development. We aim to understand the targets and mechanisms of immunity to malaria and develop innovative vaccines that are highly protective against malaria.
Combating malaria is an explicit target in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, progress in reducing the global burden of malaria has stalled since 2015, with increases likely in the coming years. Plasmodium falciparum causes most clinical cases and deaths globally, with P. vivax the second major cause, particularly in the Asia and Pacific region.
Our broad objectives are to accelerate progress towards elimination of malaria through
We use cutting-edge approaches to understand:
We work with large multicentre studies across malaria endemic regions, including analysis of malaria vaccine trials. To achieve our goals and maximise the impact of our work, we collaborate extensively nationally and internationally.
Our group head, Professor James Beeson, discusses Burnet's malaria work in Episode 8 of our How Science Matters podcast.
We aim to determine how malaria immunity impacts on the transmission of malaria and how immunity influences malaria control interventions.
The project identifies and prioritises candidate antigens for vaccine development.
We're researching the immune responses induced by the RTS,S vaccine where the burden of malaria is highest: among young children in multiple malaria-endemic African countries.
The Lancet Microbe
Gaoqian Feng, Liriye Kurtovic, Alessia Hysa, Katherine O’Flaherty, Bruce D. Wines, Laura D’Andrea, Heidi E. Drummer, P. Mark Hogarth, Freya J. I. Fowkes, James G. Beeson
Nature Communications
Rob J. Center, Gaoqian Feng, Bruce D. Wines, Liriye Kurtovic, Jo-Anne Chan, Philippe Boeuf, Damien R. Drew, Daniel L. Marshall, Sandra Chishimba, Michelle J. Boyle
Med
Ruth Fidelis, Michelle J. L. Scoullar, Pele Melepia, Elizabeth Peach, Eliza M. Davidson, Philippe Boeuf, Priscah Hezeri, Dukduk Kabiu, Elissa Kennedy, Alexandra J. Umbers
BMC Medicine
Gaoqian Feng, Liriye Kurtovic, Paul A. Agius, Bruce D. Wines, P. Mark Hogarth, Freya J. I. Fowkes
Nature Communications
Linda Reiling, Michelle J. Boyle, Danny W. Wilson, Gaoqian Feng, Rupert Weaver, D. Herbert Opi, Jack S. Richards
Immunity
Linda Reiling, Michelle J. Boyle, Gaoqian Feng, Christine Langer, Yang Cheng, Janine Stubbs, James G. Beeson, Janine Stubbs, Michelle J. Boyle, Linda Reiling
Science Translational Medicine
D. Herbert Opi, James G. Beeson, Liriye Kurtovic, Jo-Anne Chan, Gaoqian Feng, Linda Reiling, Michelle J. Boyle, Liriye Kurtovic, James G. Beeson, D. Herbert Opi
Development of methods to quantify antibody mediated complement fixation for malaria.
Laboratory methods for quantify Fc-receptor interactions by antibodies to malaria.
Laboratory methods to isolate merozoites.
Laboratory methods to quantify the ability of antibodies to inhibit or neutralise P. falciparum.
Published protocol and method.
Published protocol and method.