Pew Charitable Trust Award

Malaria parasites make us sick by infecting our red blood cells, ingesting and breaking down hemoglobin to acquire the amino acids they need to survive. This process is not only critical for the parasite, but it is also of great interest in the fight against malaria—as antimalarial drugs such as artemisinin require heme for activation and dysregulation of hemoglobin uptake renders parasites drug resistant. And yet, the fundamental mechanisms underlying this critical process remain poorly understood. Using a sophisticated combination of molecular genetics and cutting-edge imaging tools such as cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, our lab aims to determine the molecular architecture and function of the parasite machinery that drives this process. Our work will provide insights into the mechanisms underpinning artemisinin resistance and enable the development of novel, targeted antimalarial therapeutics.