Malaria: New Approaches to Understanding Host-Parasite Interactions

Malaria has entered a new era—a partially effective vaccine may be licensed in the not too distant future, and the genomes of host, parasite and vector are now widely available. Major advances have been made in understanding basic parasite cell biology and fundamental immunology, using rapidly evolving molecular genetic technologies for both host and parasite. Systems biology approaches also offer a new paradigm for interrogating complex host responses to a complex pathogen. Future progress will require greater integration of these technologies to elucidate parasite cell biology, host-parasite interactions, and the specific mechanisms that confer protection in our model systems and in nature. This symposium will bring together these new fields to examine those aspects of host and Plasmodium biology important for understanding immunity and pathogenesis.