Position

Director & CEO Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research & Public Health

Contact

Research interests

Special interest in infectious diseases, especially those caused by parasites and viruses. Investigating molecular, immunological and epidemiological aspects of the major cause of human malaria, the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum, one of the world's most important pathogens. Primary goal is developing a malaria vaccine and identifying new targets for therapeutic intervention.

Qualifications

BSc. Hons, PhD

Ten Most Significant Publications

1. Crabb, BS and Cowman, AF (1996). Characterization of promoters and stable transfection by homologous and non-homologous recombination in Plasmodium falciparum. PNAS 93: 7289-7294

2. Crabb, BS, Cooke, BM, Reeder, JC, Waller, RF, Caruana, SR, Davern, KM, Wickham, M, Brown, GV, Coppel RL and Cowman AF (1997). Targeted gene disruption shows that knobs enable malaria-infected red cells to cytoadhere under physiological shear stress. Cell 89: 287-296

3. O'Donnell RA, Saul AJ, Cowman AF, and Crabb BS. (2000) Functional conservation of the malaria vaccine antigen MSP-119 across distantly related Plasmodium species. Nature Med. 6: 91-95.

4. O'Donnell RA, de Koning-Ward TF, Burt RA, Bockarie M, Reeder JC, Cowman AF, and Crabb BS. (2001) Antibodies against MSP-119 are a major component of the invasion-inhibitory response in individuals immune to malaria. J Exp Med 193: 1403-1412

5. O'Donnell RA, Freitas-Junior LH, Preiser PR, Williamson DH, Duraisingh M, McElwain TF, Scherf A, Cowman AF, and Crabb BS. (2002). A genetic screen for improved plasmid segregation reveals a role for Rep20 in the interaction of Plasmodium falciparum chromosomes. EMBO J. 21: 1231-1239.

6. de Koning-Ward TF, O'Donnell RA, Drew DR, Thomson R, Speed, TP, and Crabb BS. (2003). A new rodent model to assess blood-stage immunity to the Plasmodium falciparum antigen MSP-119 reveals a protective role for invasion inhibitory antibodies. J Exp Med 198:869-875.

7. Meissner, M, Krejany, E, Gilson, P, de Koning-Ward, TF, Soldati, D and Crabb BS. (2005). Tetracycline analogue-regulated transgene expression in Plasmodium falciparum blood-stages using Toxoplasma gondii transactivators. PNAS 102:2980-2985

8. Sanders, PR, Gilson, PR, Cantin, GT, Greenbaum, DC, Nebl, T, Carucci, DJ, McConville, MJ, Schofield, L, Hodder, AN, Yates, JR 3rd and Crabb, BS. (2005). Distinct protein classes including novel merozoite surface antigens in raft-like membranes of Plasmodium falciparum. J Biol Chem 280:40169-76.

9. Cowman, AF and Crabb, BS. (2006). Invasion of human red blood cells by malaria parasites (review). Cell 124:755-66

10. Maier AG, Rug M, O'Neill MT, Brown M, Chakravorty S, Szestak T, Chesson J, Wu Y, Hughes K, Coppel RL, Newbold C, Beeson JG, Craig A, Crabb BS, Cowman AF. (2008) Exported proteins required for virulence and rigidity of Plasmodium falciparum-infected human erythrocytes. Cell. 134:48-61.

Currently Held Grants

2007-2009: NHMRC Project Grant (No 46123) Epigenetic control of antigenic variation in Plasmodium falciparum. CI's: BS Crabb, S Ralph

2004-09: National Institutes of Health RO1 grant, USA (AI 43906-06A1) Human Immunity to MSP-1 in Kenya. CI's: J. Kazura and B. S. Crabb

2007-10 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Preclinical prioritization of blood-stage malaria vaccine candidates. Project leader A. F. Cowman. Includes 7 other CI's from three centres (WEHI, Ehime University, Japan and University of Pennsylvania, USA)