Professor Eleanor Riley’s research at LSHTM has advanced our knowledge of innate and adaptive immune responses to the Plasmodium pathogen. The studies define the nature of an effective immune response to malaria and provide an essential evidence base for the development and evaluation of novel vaccines. Through a worldwide network of collaborations, basic research is complemented by seroepidemiological studies to map and monitor changes in malaria transmission.

Malaria is a highly proinflammatory disease in which many of the acute symptoms are the result of a florid and dysregulated immune response. Understanding the pathophysiology of malaria, and its longer term consequences, requires an understanding of the innate immune response induced by the parasite, the interplay between innate and adaptive immune responses, and the differentiation of effective and beneficial immune responses from ineffective or harmful responses. Understanding how these responses can damage host tissues and how they are regulated, and linking all these observations to clinical and epidemiological data, will facilitate the design of vaccines and new approaches to therapy.

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