How children's T cells help them tolerate repeated malaria infections
Deciphering mechanisms of CD4+ T cell-dependent clinical immunity to repeated Plasmodium infections
This work looks at whether a special type of CD4+ T cell helps children tolerate repeated malaria infections and how preventive malaria drugs change that process.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11260224 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your point of view, researchers will analyze blood samples taken over time from children enrolled in two linked cohorts in Uganda to track immune responses to repeated Plasmodium infections. They will use cell-level and genetic/epigenetic methods (including ATAC-seq) to see if specific regulatory CD4+ T cell clones expand, persist as memory, and correspond with tolerance to parasites. The team will compare children who received chemoprevention to those who did not to learn whether preventive treatment limits development of these T cell responses. Findings will be connected back to whether children remain symptom-free despite carrying parasites.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are young children living in malaria-endemic areas—especially those in the existing Ugandan cohorts who have had repeated Plasmodium exposures or received chemoprevention.
Not a fit: Adults, people with no malaria exposure, or those with unrelated health conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help guide malaria prevention strategies and identify immune signatures that predict which children are protected from symptomatic disease.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have shown regulatory (Tr1) CD4+ T cells expand after malaria, but linking clonal behavior and durable clinical immunity is a newer question that is still being defined.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jagannathan, Prasanna — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Jagannathan, Prasanna
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.