A simple rapid flow cytometry assay to assess malaria vaccine responses in mice

Abstract

Malaria is a global threat affecting nearly half of the world's population. Efforts to control the disease include vector control, accurate testing, and post-infection treatment. Despite substantial progress in these control measures, they do not provide comprehensive protection against malaria. This leads to the need for a more effective control measure, and a malaria vaccine would indeed be helpful as a public health tool. Thus, in the Murphy Laboratory, we are on the hunt for a more effective second-generation pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccine that induces a strong CD8 T cell response and offers long term protection against subsequent malarial infections. In this thesis, we discuss in detail, a surrogate marker assay: the upregulation of CD11a / downregulation of CD8a on CD8 T cells post antigenic experience. This assay serves as a valuable tool to measure vaccine responses in mice, enabling us to evaluate the efficacy of novel vaccines developed in our laboratory. By examining the specific changes in the expression of CD11a and CD8a on CD8 T cells following exposure to antigens, we gain insights into the immune response stimulated by the vaccines.