醫學系

【114學年度醫學院教師能力發展中心】Investigating host-pathogen interactions during complex Plasmodium infections

一、主講人：美國華盛頓大學 (University of Washington, Seattle, USA) Alexis Kaushansky 教授

二、講題：：Investigating host-pathogen interactions during complex Plasmodium infections

三、演講日期：10/28 (二) 12:50-15:00

四、摘要：

Malaria is a complex parasitic infection that impacts health worldwide caused by Plasmodium parasites. While in the lab we typically study it in simplified systems: during a single infection or vaccination course without pre-existing immunity. However, the reality in the field is much more complex and poses several challenges with respect to intervention design.  For example, both subunit and attenuated whole-sporozoite vaccination strategies against Plasmodium infection have shown promising initial results in malaria-naive westerners but less efficacy in malaria-exposed individuals in endemic areas. We have recently begun to model some features of the complexity of immunity in the field within a laboratory setting. We have characterized a monoclonal non-neutralizing antibody, RAM1, that can directly interfere with protective anti-circumsporozoite protein (CSP) humoral responses in a rodent malaria model. RAM1 binds Plasmodium yoelii sporozoite major surface antigen CSP but does not inhibit sporozoite traversal or invasion of hepatocytes in vitro, or infection in vivo. Strikingly, RAM1 abrogates the effect of antibodies that normally neutralize sporozoite traversal and invasion in vitro and curtails their protective effect in vivo. Furthermore, preliminary data suggest that the presence of RAM1 also alters host-parasite interactions within the infected hepatocyte to tune the susceptibility of the hepatocyte to different types of programmed cell death. This could alter the immune response to both natural infection and whole parasite immunization.  Collectively, our data provide a proof of concept that non-neutralizing antibodies can alter host-parasite interactions , and ultimately, the efficacy of malaria vaccination.

五、           活動流程：

  12:50-13:10 報到

  13:10-13:15 引言與講者介紹

  13:15-15:00 演講與討論

六、           主辦單位：醫學生物技術暨檢驗學系

            聯絡人：蔡淑貞

        聯絡信箱：shuchen@mail.cgu.edu.tw

        聯絡電話：5247