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UMCN (University Medical Centre Nijmegen) is the leader for the continuous high quality production of P falciparum parasites and infected mosquitoes. Successful experimental malaria infections have been safely carried out in human volunteers by laboratory-reared infected mosquitoes and kinetics of parasitemia was determined by quantitative RT-PCR. These experimental infections allow for extensive immunological studies in (non-immune) volunteers. He has shown that cytotoxic activity is present in the earliest stages of a bloodstage infection before clinical symptoms occur, which may contribute to host defense against the parasite. His laboratory has been engaged in gaining an understanding of the mechanisms of P falciparum development of gametocytes/ gametes and sporogony. He has begun a detailed characterisation of the 10 members of the conserved, Plasmodium-specific P48/45 family that encode surface proteins that appear to be involved in cell-cell interactions at different parts of the life cycle. Characterisation of one, P48/45, has shown it to be a male gamete specific fertility factor and others are also involved in fertilisation and are new vaccine candidate molecules.
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