The ability of antibodies to block infections makes them highly relevant for successful
vaccine development. Through the papers described in this thesis, I attempt to characterize …

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by inflammation of the
joints. Essentially, the body is attacked by its own immune system. This occurs, for example …

The lymphocytes (B and T cells) of the adaptive immune system undergo variable (V),
diversity (D), and junctional (J) gene recombination, resulting in highly diverse antigen …

Malaria is an ongoing global health crisis with cases and resistance to treatments on the
rise. Only one malaria vaccine is currently recommended for use in endemic regions in …

The cells of the adaptive immune system rely on somatic recombination of V, D and J genes
to obtain a vast range of specificities. T cells use four chains encoded by three genomic loci …

Effective vaccination against malaria remains a critical element in the effort to eradicate the
disease. So far, best protection is induced by repeated intravenous injection of irradiated …

Plasmodium falciparum malaria, a mosquito-borne, unicellular parasitic disease, remains a
major health concern, particularly in the sub-Saharan Africa. Despite many attempts to …

During transmission of malaria-causing parasites from mosquitoes to mammals,
Plasmodium sporozoites migrate rapidly in the skin to search for a blood vessel. The high …

The circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is a major surface protein of Plasmodium sporozoites, a
causative agent for malaria infection. It is essential for the development of sporozoites in the …

Next-generation,“omics-based”, translational research is rapidly characterizing genetically
determined pathophysiology at an unprecedented depth. Through the application of high …