Malaria in Pregnancy
Relative to its global impact, malaria in pregnancy is grossly understudied.
Malaria in pregnancy is the leading global cause of low birth weight infants from fetal growth restriction and/or preterm birth, and first-time mothers have worse outcomes than in subsequent pregnancies.
We leverage molecular approaches to understand the complex interactions between malaria and maternal-fetal physiology.
1. Maternal and fetal macrophage responses to placental malaria.
We are conducting gene expression studies on maternal and fetal macrophages collected from pregnancies complicated by placental malaria. These studies aim to understand how maternal and fetal Hofbauer cells differ in their response to placental malaria.
2. Optimizing treatments to prevent malaria in pregnancy
In collaboration with UCSF and Makerere University researchers we are evaluating the efficacy of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, individually and in combination, to improve malaria-related birth outcomes in Uganda.
