News

SAMI represented at MAM 2008

25 May to 5 June 2008

Left to right: Katherine Clark, Lyn-Marie Birkholtz, Kevin Saliba, Asha Patel, Braam Louw, Tharina van Brummelen, Greg Blatch, Theresa Coetzer and Don van Schalkwyk.

The third MAM conference continued with the tradition of a combination of excellent science, collaboration and enjoyment that has been established at the previous two meetings. SAMI was well represented and well received at the MAM 2008 conference with SAMI members Braam Louw, Theresa Coetzer, Greg Blatch, Lyn-Marie Birkholtz and students Katherine Clark and Tharina van Brummelen all presenting their research. The meeting was also a venue for a small reunion with ex-South Africans Kevin Saliba and Don van Schalkwyk (now at the Australian National University) and Asha Patel (SGUL, UK) being present.

These meetings are singular in their focus on the molecular biology of the malaria parasite and have become extremely popular since its inception in 2000. It attracted major role players in this arena including original organiser Alan Cowman and conference chairs Brain Cooke, Brendan Crabb and plenary speakers Pedro Alonso (‘Overview of clinical trails of malaria vaccines and RTSS’), John Barnwell (‘Malaria in monkeys and man’) and Kiaran Kirk (‘The role of PfCRT in chloroquine resistance’). These can be viewed at www.mamconferences.org/plenary.html.

The meeting continued its tradition of focussing on the molecular mechanisms underscoring parasite invasion, pathogenesis, cell biology, immunity, drug discovery/resistance and vaccines with over 50 presentations and more than 200 posters. Highlights of the meeting included two scientists revealing novel transcription factors (ApiAP2) which could act as master regulators of gene transcription both in Plasmodium falciparum and P. berghei (Manuel Llinas and Masao Yuda, respectively). The var genes and their regulation continued to attract attention with Alan Cowman’s group reporting the systematic knockout of 83 genes involved in the PfEMP1 export pathway to the erythrocyte membrane. Interesting points to ponder on include evidence that P. knowlesi might be considered as the ‘fifth’ human malaria parasite, with John Barnwell presenting evidence that this primate malaria infects humans in Asia and the Pacific Islands. The mechanism of action of artemisinin and implications for resistance was still a highly controversial topic with Sanjeev Krishna presenting evidence for the involvement of a sacroplasmic-ER calcium ATPase. The conference proceedings were published in the International Journal for Parasitology, Vol 38, 2008.

The next meeting, due to popular demand, will be held in 2012. NO WORRIES, MATE!