Attempting to understand the relationship between sickle cell and malaria using parasite genome editing and phenotyping assays

My project is mapping protein interactions of Plasmodium falciparum invasion ligands involved in the initial stages of host-pathogen interactions during blood-stage infection using proximity-dependent interactomics. I use a combination of genetic engineering, foundational molecular and cellular biology methodologies, proximity-dependent labelling complemented with proteomics

I completed my PhD in Edinburgh, exploring interspecies interactions within the African trypanosomes. My current project is focussed on examining redundancy within P. falciparum multigene families that play a role in invasion of the host red blood cell. I developed a pooled transfection and sequencing approach to test multiple mutant combinations at higher throughput, and identify mutant combinations that are most detrimental to parasite multiplication.

I am Prasun Kundu, a researcher passionate about translational vaccine research. I earned my Ph.D. in Structural Biochemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, India. I then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, focusing on structure-based immunogen design of Pfs48/45, a potent Plasmodium falciparum transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) candidate. Since joining the Rayner Lab in 2019, my research has applied a reverse vaccinology approach to identify and prioritise next-generation vaccine targets against Plasmodium vivax, the most widely distributed malaria parasite worldwide. Over the years, I have developed expertise in protein expression in mammalian cells (HEK), protein purification, antibody generation, protein crystallisation and structure determination, parasite culture (Plasmodium knowlesi), small-scale growth inhibition assays, flow cytometry-based red blood cell binding assays, and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing.

I am Deboki Naskar, PhD in Cell & Molecular Biology and Tissue Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, India. I joined Rayner lab in a vaccine screening project where we screened a set of potential blood stage Plasmodium vivax candidates using a systematic reverse vaccinology approach. I am currently studying high-throughput functional genomics in the malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi using piggyBac based transposon mutagenesis, which allows me to investigate gene functions critical for parasite survival, drug resistance, and pathogenesis. My work involves Molecular Biology, parasite culture, parasite genome editing (both targeted and random), Flow Cytometry, and Microscopy.

I grew up in the Netherlands, where I did my bachelor and master’s in Molecular Mechanisms of Diseases at the Radboud University in Nijmegen and stayed for my PhD in the lab of Dr Taco Kooij. I’m currently characterising proteins of the expanded tryptophan-rich antigen (TRAg) family in P. knowlesi, to explore their potential as blood-stage vaccine candidates, using genetic engineering, high-resolution microscopy and biochemical assays.

My PhD project aims to identify novel Plasmodium vivax blood-stage malaria vaccine targets by mapping parasite protein distributions using spatial proteomics (HyperLOPIT) and confirming their predicted subcellular localisations through CRISPR/Cas9 tagging. Following localisation validation, I will use functional assays to evaluate the vaccine potential of these candidate proteins. Before this PhD, I worked on malaria from different perspectives: examining P. falciparum malaria vaccine responses at The University of Oxford and using bioinformatic tools to prioritise Plasmodium vivax malaria vaccine targets here at the University of Cambridge.

I investigate the impact of human genetic variants on red blood cells and P. falciparum parasites, the work is specifically focused on variants of Duffy (DARC) and GYPA/B/E genes. My work is aimed at shedding light on the molecular mechanisms by which natural human genetic variants protect against malaria.

My PhD research focuses on characterising the Plasmodium falciparum myosin motor proteins to investigate their essentiality and druggability as antimalarials. To achieve this, I combine several cell biology techniques, recombinant protein engineering, biophysical as well as interactomics studies using proteomic platforms. I have also employed an inducible CRISPR-Cas9 mediated ribozyme system to conditionally manipulate the proteins in the asexual and gametocyte stages of the parasite. My work spans between the malaria lab at WACCBIP, Ghana and here in CIMR between the Rayner lab and the Buss lab.

I undertook my PhD in the Rayner lab, as part of the MRC-DTP 2019 cohort, developing a novel platform for antimalarial drug target identification using large-scale transfection and next generation sequencing in Plasmodium knowlesi. Following a short postdoctoral position in the lab, I relocated to Columbia University, New York in 2025 to research the genetic architecture of malaria drug resistance in Africa.

I had my first degree in Agricultural science before switching over to Molecular biology for my masters. This was after I had worked with a research centre (WACCBIP) for a couple years. I am currently using a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated glmS ribozyme knockdown approach to determine the essentiality of two potential malaria vaccine candidates (Pfarma and Pfmaap).

I hold a PhD in Life Sciences from Anglia Ruskin University and have a strong background in infectious disease research. During my time as a Research Assistant at the Rayner Lab, CIMR, University of Cambridge, I focused on studying Plasmodium falciparum to better understand the molecular mechanisms of malaria pathogenesis. Currently, I lead Business Development & Sales at Amar Biosystems, where I promote a microfluidic platform for lipid nanoparticle formulation, while supporting advancements in cell and gene therapy and drug discovery.

I spent a year in the Rayner Lab and I was trained in the use of the CRISPR/Cas9 method. During this time, I generated transgenic Plasmodium falciparum lines in which the merozoite protein PfEBA-140 has been exchanged with its orthologue from P. praefalciparum, a parasite considered as the P. falciparum closest ancestor that infects gorillas rather than humans. This experiment was a continuation of my earlier work on recombinant EBA-140 homolgues from different Plasmodium species and their binding to sialic acid receptors, which differ between humans and apes. I aimed to investigate whether EBA-140 could be a key determinant of Plasmodium host specificity. Currently, I work at the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy in Wroclaw, Poland, where I focus on the role of glycans in Plasmodium infection.

Kyle is part of the MB/PhD programme, and intercalated with a PhD focussed on the emergence and mechanisms of antimalarial resistance in Latin America. He has return to medical school, and is scheduled to graduate in 2026