Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program
BS, Biology (minor in Spanish and Coaching)
University of Scranton, Scranton, PA (1996)
MS, Biology
East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA (2001)

Email: patricia.petritus@drexel.edu

Advisor: Dr. James Burns
 
Thesis Research Summary

Malaria is a major worldwide health concern with 300-500 million new cases and 1-3 million deaths per year. There is evidence that the blood-stage parasite burden is reduced by an immune response in the host; however, there has been limited success with development of an effective vaccine. My thesis project will focus on dissecting the mechanisms which contribute to a protective immune response. Mice immunized with vaccine candidate antigens will be challenged with rodent Plasmodium spp. and compared to non-immunized, challenged controls. Large-scale DNA microarray analysis will be a starting point for data acquisition. Antibody titers and cytokine levels will also be assayed and compared over time with parasite burden. The ultimate goal of this project is to produce a vaccine-induced immune response that will correlate with protection upon challenge.