Home Researchers/Supervisors Abdi Abdirahman

Researchers/Supervisors

Abdi Abdirahman

SANTHE Supervisor


KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) Kilifi, Kenya

Project

Blood biomarkers that prospectively predict acute HIV-1 infection in high-risk adults

Collaboration Interests
  • Disease mechanism, biomarker discovery, host-based TB diagnostic biomarkers
  • Pathophysiology of infectious diseases

Abdi is a Senior Research Scientist at the KEMRI–Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, Kenya, with a background in Biochemistry. His research focuses on extracellular vesicles (EVs)—cell-derived particles involved in intercellular communication through the transfer of proteins and RNA, as well as in cellular waste removal and transport across biological barriers.

He studies EVs to better understand the pathophysiology of infectious diseases, particularly malaria, and to advance fundamental knowledge of malaria parasite biology. His research group, supported by Wellcome Trust fellowships, investigates the “omics” of EVs in human body fluids such as plasma.

His work aims to improve diagnosis of childhood illnesses with unclear aetiology, identify biomarkers for predicting acute HIV-1 infection in high-risk individuals, and explore metabolic interactions between infection, undernutrition, and breastmilk composition affecting child health.

Publications
Plasmodium falciparum adapts its investment into replication versus transmission according to the host environment Analysis of var Gene Transcription Pattern Using DBLα Tags Frontiers in Immunology Sections Articles Research Topics Editorial board About journal About us All journals All articles Submit your research ORIGINAL RESEARCH article Front. Immunol., 09 October 2019 Sec. Microbial Immunology Volume 10 - 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.02328 This article is part of the Research Topic Regulation of Immunity to Parasitic Infections Endemic to Africa View all 17 articles Exploring Plasmodium falciparum Var Gene Expression to Assess Host Selection Pressure on Parasites During Infancy Anti-merozoite antibodies induce natural killer cell effector function and are associated with immunity against malaria Proteomic analysis of extracellular vesicles from a Plasmodium falciparum Kenyan clinical isolate defines a core parasite secretome Extracellular vesicles isolated from milk can improve gut barrier dysfunction induced by malnutrition Antigenic cartography of immune responses to Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) Global selection of Plasmodium falciparum virulence antigen expression by host antibodies Public antibodies to malaria antigens generated by two LAIR1 insertion modalities A LAIR1 insertion generates broadly reactive antibodies against malaria variant antigens Differential Plasmodium falciparum surface antigen expression among children with Malarial Retinopathy Measuring Soluble ICAM-1 in African Populations Plasmodium falciparumantigenic variation: relationships between widespread endothelial activation, parasite PfEMP1 expression and severe malaria A secreted Plasmodium falciparum kinase reveals a signature motif for classification of tyrosine kinase-like kinases Repeat Polymorphisms in the Low-Complexity Regions of Plasmodium falciparum ABC Transporters and Associations with In Vitro Antimalarial Responses Global kinomic and phospho-proteomic analyses of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum SAM domain-dependent activity of PfTKL3, an essential tyrosine kinase-like kinase of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum Prevalence of 5′ insertion mutants and analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism in the erythrocyte binding-like 1 (ebl-1) gene in Kenyan Plasmodium falciparum field isolates

SANTHE is an Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) flagship programme funded by the Science for Africa Foundation through the DELTAS Africa programme; the Gates Foundation; Gilead Sciences Inc.; and the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard.

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