Human genetic

In addition to characterizing and validating human-host predictive biomarkers that enable the progression of infection to disease severity for my current PhD, my primary aim is to investigate how infection like malaria causes brain damage or cerebral malaria (CM).  Specifically, the potential involvement of SARM1 and NAD+ in the neuronal process death induced by CM is one of the hypotheses to be tested, with aim of exploring possibilities for improved neuroprotective treatments. A combination of transcriptomics, cell immunostaining/digital imaging, functional genomics, and data analysis will be used in conjunction with an ex-vivo model system that will be created using engineered protease-sensitized SARM1 and P. falciparum culture-inoculated mice in order to achieve my study objectives and test my hypothesis. At the same time, I am completing an old study that looked at how variations in the CYP450 gene family correlated with the effectiveness of artemisinin-based treatments for malaria in vivo. My initial exposure to human genetics and Linux (Ubuntu) analysis of PE Illumina sequencing (NGS) data came from this project and boosted my confidence in my chosen PhD research. Also, validating GWAS identified human genetic variants that confer protections to disease severity in sub-Saharan African population.