# Impact of Environmental Modifications on Pathogenesis and Immunity of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax Malaria

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · 2020 · $476,152

## Abstract

PROJECT 3
PROJECT SUMMARY
Impact of Environmental Modifications on Pathogenesis and
 Immunity of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax Malaria
Hydropower dam and irrigation initiatives to improve and sustain agricultural productivity are
underway in Ethiopia and Kenya. However, there is very limited knowledge of how these
water and land use modifications will affect diverse malaria ecosystems and impact ongoing
vector interventions that have decreased but not eliminated malaria transmission. Research
in this project will address topics pertinent to understanding how rapid changes in intensity
and geospatial features of Plasmodium falciparum vivax and P. vivax transmission resulting
from environmental modifications impact naturally acquired immunity (NAI) to malaria disease
pathogenesis and parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes. From a translational
perspective, the goals are to 1) develop, evaluate and validate in vitro correlates of NAI
adaptable to standardized formats as population surveillance and diagnostic tools that could
be used to predict resurgences or reductions of malaria morbidity, and 2) advance
understanding of naturally acquired P. falciparum antibody-mediated transmission reducing
activity. From a basic perspective, our goals are to 1) define the mechanistic roles of
antibodies and complement in malaria immunity, and 2) fill in major gaps of knowledge
related to NAI to P. vivax pathogenesis in Africa. These goals will be achieved through a
collaboration involving field and laboratory facilities in two malaria endemic sites in western
Kenya and three malaria endemic sites in Ethiopia with malaria research teams in the U.S.
and Australia that have long standing working relationships with research scientists and
malaria public health experts in Ethiopia and Kenya. This is integrated with the Epidemiology
project, which will generate biological samples, clinical data, and antibody seroconversion
data, and the Transmission project, which will determine whether vector species composition,
biting behavior and spatial patterns of exposure to anopheline mosquitoes correlate with
changes in transmission reducing immunity. The Administrative and Data Management and
Biostatistics Cores will be critical to the logistics, management, and scientific value of this
project.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9898168
- **Project number:** 5U19AI129326-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
- **Principal Investigator:** James Walter Kazura
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $476,152
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9898168

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9898168, Impact of Environmental Modifications on Pathogenesis and Immunity of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax Malaria (5U19AI129326-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9898168. Licensed CC0.

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