Steve M Taylor

My lab website has a fuller description of my research activities: https://sites.duke.edu/taylorlab/.

I am principally interested in field and translational studies of falciparum malaria. These interests fall along several lines:

1) Molecular Epidemiology. With partners principally in Kenya, we use community-based cohorts coupled with advanced genetic sequencing and immuno-epidemiologic approaches to better understand parasite transmission, clinical disease, and immunity. The goals of these studies are to identify opportunities to intervene at the community level to reduce malaria.

2) Pathogenesis. Severe malaria is a lethal disease; it is the cause of most of the 400,000 malaria deaths annually in African children. In these children, sickle-trait hemoglobin confers >90% protection from severe, life-threatening malaria. We are investigating the molecular genetic correlates of this phenomenon in in vitro and ex vivo systems in order to identify mechanisms by which sickle-trait neutralizes the parasite. By leveraging this naturally-occurring model of malaria protection we hope to ultimately identify druggable targets for future antiparasitic or adjunctive therapies.

3) Clinical trials. In malaria-endemic Africa, high-risk groups that suffer disproportionate malaria morbidity clearly benefit from focused malaria prevention strategies. We have trialed alternate chemoprevention regimens in children with sickle cell anemia in Kenya, and are currently testing in pregnant women in the DRC and Kenya the impact of enhanced screening for parasites early in pregnancy on the outcome of pregnancy. The goal of these projects is to enhance public health guidelines for the routine care of these high-risk groups and reduce the burden of malaria in African children.

The ultimate goals of these translational studies of falciparum malaria in children and pregnant women is to integrate epidemiologic, clinical, and molecular genetic models of disease in order to inform the rational design of medical and public health interventions to reduce the awful burden of malaria.