University of Copenhagen
Department of Immunology and Microbiology
Lars is a Professor at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen (since 2006). He has conducted research on the immunology and pathogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria since the late 1980s. Lars’ research is mostly based on field studies in Africa – mainly in Sudan and Ghana. In 1991, he co-founded the Centre for Medical Parasitology (CMP) in Copenhagen, which has grown since to becoming a leading hub of European malaria research. For more than 20 years, his research has been focussed mainly on the role of clonally variant parasite antigens, in particular PfEMP1, in malaria pathogenesis and as targets of naturally acquired protective immunity to the disease. Research capacity building and collaboration with colleagues in Africa has been an integral part of his research activities throughout. Lars is an international faculty member at the West-African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana. His laboratory participates in the Legacy project of the Federation of African Immunological Societies (FAIS). He is an elected Fellow of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (FASTMH, Class of 2013) and Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (2019).
Moderator of 5 Sessions
Plenary Session
Session Type
Plenary Session
Date
08/21/2022
Session Time
17:00 - 19:00
Room
Auditorium 10-11-12
02. Parasites of humans
Session Type
02. Parasites of humans
Date
08/23/2022
Session Time
13:15 - 14:45
Room
Auditorium 11
02. Parasites of humans
Session Type
02. Parasites of humans
Date
08/23/2022
Session Time
15:00 - 16:30
Room
Auditorium 11
Session Icon
02. Parasites of humans
Session Type
02. Parasites of humans
Date
08/24/2022
Session Time
15:00 - 16:30
Room
Auditorium 11
Session Icon
Plenary Session
Session Type
Plenary Session
Date
08/26/2022
Session Time
11:00 - 12:30
Room
Auditorium 11
Presenter of 5 Presentations
Plenary Session
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PLENARY KEYNOTE TALK (ID 2390)
Session Name
Session Type
Plenary Session
Date
08/21/2022
Session Time
17:00 - 19:00
Room
Auditorium 10-11-12
Lecture Time
18:30 - 19:00
Plenary Session
WELCOME ON BEHALF OF SBSP AND DSP, AND ISFP AND EVPC (ID 2391)
Session Name
Session Type
Plenary Session
Date
08/21/2022
Session Time
17:00 - 19:00
Room
Auditorium 10-11-12
Presenter
Lecture Time
17:25 - 17:35
Plenary Session
WELCOME ADDRESS, SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE (ID 1623)
Session Name
Session Type
Plenary Session
Date
08/22/2022
Session Time
09:00 - 10:00
Room
Auditorium 10-11-12
Presenter
Lecture Time
09:00 - 09:15
Plenary Session
TOWARDS MALARIA ERADICATION: RESEARCH PROGRESS AND SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGES (ID 122)
Session Name
Session Type
Plenary Session
Date
08/24/2022
Session Time
08:30 - 10:00
Room
Auditorium 10-11-12
Presenter
Lecture Time
08:30 - 09:15
Abstract
Abstract Body
The result of decades of intensive efforts to develop effective malaria vaccines has been disappointing, with only one vaccine approved for use. And even this vaccine (RTS/S) is unable to induce strong and long-lasting protection, limiting its value in malaria-endemic areas. The protection afforded by RTS/S is short-lived (months), suggesting that the circumsporozoite protein is an attractive vaccine target, but that the current delivery platform is sub-optimal. Up until recently there was an urgent need to test novel vaccine delivery platforms. However, the massive endeavor to rapidly develop effective COVID19 vaccines, has enabled head-to-head clinical testing of virtually all available vaccine platforms, thereby providing long needed data on the strengths and limitations of the different delivery platforms. This presentation will cover key lessons learned from COVID19 vaccines, and how they can be harnessed to inform and accelerate the development of the next generation of malaria vaccines. In particular, I will discuss the potential of virus-like particle technologies and how they can be exploited to deliver longer-lasting vaccine responses. 02. Parasites of humans
INTRODUCTION - γδ T CELLS AND EARLY FINDINGS REGARDING THEIR ROLE IN IMMUNITY TO MALARIA (ID 1770)
Session Type
02. Parasites of humans
Date
08/24/2022
Session Time
15:00 - 16:30
Room
Auditorium 11
Presenter
Lecture Time
15:00 - 15:18
Session Icon
Abstract
Abstract Body
The majority of T cells (the αβ T cells) express clonally distributed and highly diverse antigen receptors (TCR) that exclusively recognize peptides displayed on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. In contrast, the γδ T cells, which usually constitute only a small minority of circulating T cells, appear not to be MHC-restricted, some express clonally conserved TCR, and some recognize non-peptide antigens. γδ T cells often have effector functions that resemble those of CD8+ cytotoxic αβ T cells, but their role in immunity is not clear.
It has long been recognized that the circulating frequency of γδ T cells is increased in certain cancers and infections, including Plasmodium falciparum malaria, and that some γδ T cells respond to P. falciparum antigens in vitro. To set the scene for the subsequent presentations in this symposium, I will introduce the γδ T cells, the main subsets of this population of cells, and briefly review the early evidence implicating them in the immune response to P. falciparum malaria.