Therapeutic Sciences Graduate Program

The Nixon Laboratory focuses on the functional significance of antibody targeted cellular and complement responses to a novel pediatric malaria vaccine candidate that was discovered here at Brown in the Center for International Health Research. Elucidating the roles of cellular effector mechanisms to this vaccine target will help to guide ongoing immune-epidemiology studies and ultimately vaccine trials.  As a second aim, the Nixon Laboratory focuses on identifying novel vaccine targets against the transmissible form of the malaria parasite, the gametocyte, while it still resides within the human host.   Novel vaccine candidates that target this stage will ultimately be incorporated into a multi-stage vaccine that target the liver and blood stage of malaria.