Authors and curators of MalarImDB

Prof. Dr. Philippe E. Van den Steen obtained his Ph.D. in 2001 with Prof. Dr. Ghislain Opdenakker as promotor in the Laboratory of Immunobiology at the KU Leuven – University of Leuven, where he is now a research Professor. He developed a novel malaria research line within the Laboratory of Immunobiology and his research is currently focussed on the interaction between malaria parasites and the immune system and on malaria complications, including malaria-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (MA-ARDS). He recently developed a new mouse model with the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei NK65 in C57BL/6J mice, which develop similar symptoms in the lungs as patients suffering from MA-ARDS.

Dr. Katrien Deroost recently obtained her Ph.D. in 2012 from the KU Leuven – University of Leuven under the supervision of Philippe Van den Steen. She investigated the in vivo role of malaria pigment (hemozoin) in mice infected with rodent Plasmodium species with varying pathogenicity. She showed that hemozoin is an inflammatory factor in the lungs and in the liver, and that hemozoin levels, inflammation and pathology are closely associated in MA-ARDS and hepatocellular dysfunction, both being complications of malaria.