Malaria Immunology
The Malaria Immunology group, led by Prof. Carlota Dobaño and Dr. Gemma Moncunill, investigates naturally-acquired and experimentally-induced immunity to infectious diseases of global health relevance. A major focus of the group is malaria and other poverty-related neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including the impact of co-infections, particularly in vulnerable populations (young children and pregnant women) in low- and middle-income countries.
The Malaria Immunology group performs immuno-epidemiological studies that aim to identify factors affecting disease risk, progression, vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy, and to understand the mechanisms of protective immunity. Knowledge generated is relevant to identify immune correlates of protection, biomarkers of infection and disease progression, and guide the rational development and deployment of vaccines.
To address these research aims, the group employs high throughput multidimensional immune assays, profiling many parameters simultaneously in single biological samples with low volumes (e.g. paediatric populations). Specifically, Prof. Dobaño has pioneered the development of Luminex-based assays to quantify antibodies against large panels of pathogen antigens including the various isotypes and subclasses, and Dr. Moncunill has optimised multi-colour flow cytometer and multiplex cytokine assays, allowing the integration of humoral and cellular immune responses in human cohorts and biomarker studies. The Malaria Immunology group also incorporates multi-omics and data science analytical tools to tackle complex biomedical questions around immunity using systems biology approaches.
These immune profiling approaches, developed mostly as a part of the malaria research work, have also been applied to:
- emergent infectious diseases causing pandemics, including SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19;
- other infections and vaccines, including viruses or bacteria that trigger other diseases (e.g. cancer); and
- non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
This technical expertise has led to the creation in 2024 of a Core Facility on Immune Response and Biomarkers at ISGlobal as part of CERCA-GYNS platforms, which offers a wide range of laboratory measurements as services, including Target Olink proteomics, with ISO 9001 certification in process.
The Malaria Immunology group works in close collaboration with the Fundação Manhiça, Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (FM-CISM), Mozambique, and other national and international research institutions that conform an extensive network of collaborators from the academia, non-profit organizations and industry.
The group has extensive experience in coordinating multidisciplinary studies and in the leadership of large international research consortia or work packages (EU HEALTH FP6, FP7, H2020, HE, and NIH-NIAID). The Malaria Immunology group is recognized by the Generalitat de Catalunya as an AGAUR consolidated research group (SGR 01553) and leads a CIBER group in Spain in infectious diseases of global health relevance (CB21/13/00034).
Specific topics of research interest by the group are:
- Heterogeneity on the quality, function and kinetics of antibody and cellular immune responses in different populations.
- Impact of chronic exposure to infections on the phenotype and function of B and T cell subsets as well as innate cells such as monocytes.
- Impact of disease interventions (e.g. drugs and vaccination) in the acquisition of immunity and approaches to monitoring it.
- Immune responses during pregnancy and neonatal periods, including maternal antibody transfer.
- Immune responses to controlled human malaria infections.
- Immunomodulation and immune deviation by co-infections and exposome.
- Antibody responses to vaccines, particularly malaria (RTS,S/AS0, attenuated sporozoites), COVID-19, influenza and helminths, using systems serology approaches.
- Immune mechanisms and determinants of Long COVID-19.
- Biomarkers of infection, disease progression and pathogenesis
With the support of:
Team
ISGlobal Team
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