Douglas J. Perkins, a former assistant professor in IDM (2001-2007), was invited back to present at the IDM Seminar Series on March 28. His presentation was on "Genomic Approaches for Uncovering the Pathogenesis of Severe Malarial Anemia in African Children."
Since Dr. Perkins' departure in 2007, he has become Director and Professor of Medicine, in the Center for Global Health at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Research projects in Dr. Perkins' laboratories are primarily based in the US, Ghana, and Kenya. Research projects focus on various molecular aspects of the human host-immune response to parasites and viruses, including: 1) determining the role of genetic variation in cytokine, chemokine, and effector molecule genes in conditioning susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum-induced severe malarial anemia in African children; 2) the impact of endemic area co-infections (e.g., HIV-1, TB and bacteremia) on conditioning clinical outcomes in African children; 3) discovery of molecular targets for immunotherapuetics; 4) high-throughput drug screening for tropical diseases; and 5) mathematical and epidemiological modeling for integrative biosurveillance.
3/30/2018