Members

Principal Investigator


Manuel Llinás Ph.D.

I am interested in the molecular mechanisms governing malaria parasite development and differentiation. To pursue this, my lab uses integrated approaches combining functional genomics, transcriptomics, molecular biology, computational biology, biochemistry, and metabolomics. The ultimate aim of my research is to better define malaria parasite biology with the goal of identifying novel therapies against this global human affliction.

Administrative Assistant

Alley Guindon

My role is to provide operational support to the lab, such as assisting with finances, arranging and coordinating travel, and processing lab orders as needed, so research is not interrupted.

Postdoctoral Researchers

Rajat Kumar Ph.D.

My project focuses on unravelling the origins of antimalarial drug resistance mechanisms in intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum from a transcriptional perspective at a single-cell level.

Gabe Rangel Ph.D.

My project is focused on understanding the metabolic effect of Plasmodium drug resistance, and I am also exploring antimalarial targets that are less susceptible to evolving drug resistance.

Isadora Prata Ph.D.

My projects focus on identifying transcription factors that are essential for Plasmodium falciparum sexual development and characterizing their importance for gametocytogenesis and gender-specific transcription programs. I'm also interested in understanding P. falciparum transcription from a structural perspective.

Graduate Students

Ritwik Singhal

My project aims to identify and characterize sequence-specific transcription factors that are involved in the regulation of sexual development, or gametocytogenesis, in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Aniko Verbrugge

My project uses molecular parasitology and microscopy to define roles for conserved protein domains with unknown function in transcriptional regulation.

Alan Brown

I am working on bioinformatics methods to investigate how epigenetic factors such as histone modifications and chromatin architecture help regulate transcription factor binding and gene regulation in Plasmodium falciparum.

Anna Blumberg

My project explores the role of metabolism during Plasmodium falciparum gametocytogenesis and transmission.

Lab Managers & Research Assistants

Currently None

Undergraduate Students

Elise Groff

My project aims to determine the impact of host serum metabolites on P. falciparum's asexual growth during the red blood cell stage, with a focus on natural variation in human serum metabolites.

Charlotte Pollard

I am working on understanding the molecular mechanisms of sexual commitment in geographically distinct strains of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Visiting Scientists

Lúcia Mamede

Laboratory of Michel Frédérich at the Univ. of Liège

Francois Eya'ane Meva

Fulbright Scholar (Senior Lecturer - Chemistry Univ. of Douala, Cameroon)

Hilde von Grüning(Lyn-Marie Birkholtz Lab)
Vera Mitesser(Ron Dzikowski's Lab)
Sandra Bennink(Gabi Pradel's Lab)
Riward Morillo(Björn Kafsack's Lab)
Oriol Llorà-Batlle(Alfred Cortés Lab)

Visiting Students

Currently None

High School Students

Currently None

Alumni

See where our alumni are now!