Project Grant R01AI196061

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco $816,441 on August 18, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of interactions between variable PfEMP1 virulence genes, anti-PfEMP1 antibody repertoires, and outcomes of naturally occurring Plasmodium falciparum infections.

The research leverages a cohort of Ugandan children and adults to characterize expressed VAR genes and profile anti-PfEMP1 antibody responses. The hypothesis underlying the work is that naturally acquired antibody responses to a small subset of key PfEMP1 epitopes—particularly those involved in binding host receptors—are largely responsible for protection from symptomatic disease, control of parasite density, and clearance of persistent infections. Confirming this hypothesis and identifying novel clinically important epitopes would facilitate vaccine and monoclonal antibody development aimed at decreasing malarial morbidity and mortality. The project also addresses the mechanism by which P. falciparum evades immune clearance through antigenic variation of PfEMP1 expressed on infected red blood cells and the role of persistent, asymptomatic infections in transmission within endemic settings.

Performance occurs at the University of California, San Francisco in San Francisco, California, with a period of performance extending from August 18, 2026, through July 31, 2031.