Circadian rhythms in malaria parasites: From mosquitos to mammalian cell culture.
Filipa Rijo-Ferreira, Professor
Public Health
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2025.
The rotation of the Earth has exerted evolutionary pressure on organisms to develop circadian rhythms, enabling them to anticipate day/night cycles. These daily rhythms are observed across all life forms, regulating physiological functions such as sleep, immune response, and metabolism. Our lab focuses on studying circadian clocks in parasites, primarily malaria but also expanding to toxoplasma gondii. We work across various stages of the parasite’s life cycle, including work with mosquitoes and mammalian cell cultures.
Role: We are seeking two motivated students for the following roles:
- Studying parasites from mosquito vectors: This role involves dissecting Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes to isolate parasites for further experiments. Students will develop fine dissection skills and should be motivated for precise, microscopic work. Flexibility in timing is required based on mosquito availability.
- Cell culture for circadian experiments: This role includes maintaining hepatocyte and other mammalian cell cultures to set up circadian experiments. Students will learn to maintain cells and perform assays which requires continuous and regular commitment.
Students will explore the fascinating world of circadian rhythms and parasites while gaining essential training in good laboratory practices. Our lab is friendly, dynamic, and diverse, and we strongly encourage Learning-Aligned Employment Program (LAEP) eligible students to apply.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Helene Borrmann, Post-Doc
Hours: 9-11 hrs
Related website: https://rijoferreiralab.com
Biological & Health Sciences Digital Humanities and Data Science