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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 22d

Delighted to review the latest findings on how malaria parasites get into our blood cells and how we might stop it!

Nature Reviews Microbiology @natrevmicro.nature.com · 23d

New online! Erythrocyte invasion in malaria: from molecular mechanisms to rational vaccines

Erythrocyte invasion in malaria: from molecular mechanisms to rational vaccines

Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 15 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41579-025-01235-1If erythrocyte invasion is blocked during the blood stage of infection by Plasmodium parasites, malaria can be prevented. In this Review, structural insights on erythrocyte invasion by the merozoite form of Plasmodium are discussed in the context of rational design of a blood-stage malaria vaccine.

www.nature.com

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 23d

Delighted to share our review on how those malaria parasites get into our blood cells and how we might stop them.
rdcu.be/eGnUl

Erythrocyte invasion in malaria: from molecular mechanisms to rational vaccines

Nature Reviews Microbiology - If erythrocyte invasion is blocked during the blood stage of infection by Plasmodium parasites, malaria can be prevented. In this Review, structural insights on...

rdcu.be

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 26

Thanks Francesca! Happy to share what we do and always happy to learn from others!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 26

Happy to chat some time and share our paperwork. Hope all is well!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 26

The Higgins lab are proud to have received a Gold LEAF award, recognising our efforts to minimise the environmental impact of our research. Thanks to lab manager, Hannah Ivison, Alex Cook and to everyone in the lab for working on this together. More to do!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 21

An exciting opportunity to start an independent position as a research fellow in protozoan parasitology at Christ's College, Cambridge and the Department of Pathology:
www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/52020/

Research Fellow in Animal Protozoology (Fixed Term - 5 years) - Job Opportunities - University of Cambridge

Research Fellow in Animal Protozoology (Fixed Term - 5 years) in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge.

www.jobs.cam.ac.uk

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 18

Delighted to share the final version of Richard Zhou's study on how the CD163 scavenger receptor cleans up after toxic haemoglobin spills out from our blood cells. An amazing grabber mechanism!
rdcu.be/ewPA2

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 2

Sounds wonderful. Yes please!! I’ve signed up for the meeting.

Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 2

Thanks Freddy!! Hopefully see you soon.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 2

Thanks Juan! Hope to see you soon.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 2

It was a huge privilege to start my research career at LMB. Hugely formative, giving the chance to interact with wonderful scientists, including pioneers of structural biology.

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology @mrclmb.bsky.social · Jul 2

Congratulations to #LMBAlumni Matt Higgins (@parasitematt.bsky.social) and Clemens Plaschka on their election to @embo.org 🎉

EMBO @embo.org · Jul 1

Welcome and congratulations to the 60 new members and 9 associate members who have been elected to the EMBO Membership! This honour celebrates #research excellence and outstanding achievements in the #LifeSciences. 🧪

Learn more here:
www.embo.org/press-releas... #EMBOMembers2025

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 1

Thanks Joana! Hopefully see you soon.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 1

Honoured to be elected an EMBO member. Looking forward to being part of this wonderful organisation that does so much for European science. Also thanks to Kavli Oxford for always using a picture which makes me look 20 years young. I own you guys!

Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford @kavlioxford.bsky.social · Jul 1

Congratulations to #KavliOxford Professor Matt Higgins on his election to EMBO Membership for 2025! 🎉

kavli.web.ox.ac.uk/article/matt...

Matt Higgins Elected to EMBO Membership for 2025

kavli.web.ox.ac.uk

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jul 1

Thanks Kavli for highlighting @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social ‘s work with our wonderful collaborators, Shiroh and Hisashi. New insights into how activating KIR receptors might help fight malaria!

Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford @kavlioxford.bsky.social · Jul 1

#TuesdayReads:
From Matt Higgins et al on how Plasmodium falciparum evades the immune system—revealing how PfEMP1 and RIFIN proteins help infected cells stick to tissues and escape immune attack. 👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.mi...

Redirecting

doi.org

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Reposted by Matt Higgins

Oxford Biochemistry @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social · Jun 13

Fantastic news! 👏👏👏

How the #malaria #parasite evades the immune system… and how the human body fights back: @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social and @parasitematt.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk make ground-breaking discovery, just published in @nature.com. Read more ⬇️

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jun 13

Read all about it!

rdcu.be/eqx2J

RIFINs displayed on malaria-infected erythrocytes bind KIR2DL1 and KIR2DS1

Nature - Certain RIFINs from Plasmodium falciparum can bind to both inhibitory (KIR2DL1) and activating (KIR2DS1) immune receptors on natural killer cells, demonstrating the potential role of...

rdcu.be

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jun 13

A fun collaboration with KIR-binding RIFINs discovered by Shiroh Iwanaga, Hisashi Arase and Akihito Sakoguchi. Structures and molecular mechanisms led by @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social . NK synapses imaged with Mike Dustin, Marcus Widdess, Alex Morch. Generous funding from @wellcometrust.bsky.social

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jun 13

Our latest story describes the amazing evolutionary battle between malaria parasite and human. The parasite evolved RIFINs to bind inhibitory KIR receptors and suppress immune cell function while humans have activating KIR receptors to bind these RIFINs to kill parasites!

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Reposted by Matt Higgins

Sam Chamberlain @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social · Jun 12

Extremely happy to share the first paper of my postdoc work with @parasitematt.

It is the product of a great collaboration with Akihito Sakoguchi, Hisashi Arase and Shiroh Iwanaga at Osaka University as well as Marcus Widdess and Mike Dustin here in Oxford.

rdcu.be/eqx2J

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jun 3

Looking for a fully-funded D. Phil. / Ph.D. studentship in structural biology and vaccinology? Come to join our team. Fully and generously funded by a donation from the Kyner-Field family with full fees at overseas level. Join us!
www.bioch.ox.ac.uk/studentships

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Jun 1

Nawsad presented our structure-guided design of RH5top, our latest blood stage-malaria vaccine immunogen, in talk and poster at the Malaria Gordon conference. The culmination of many studies from the lab and collaborators and doing well in pre-clinical testing! More soon.

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Reposted by Matt Higgins

Sam Chamberlain @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social · Mar 20

Pleased to share our review on two key families of proteins in the 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 arsenal: pfEMP1 and RIFINs. Both of these fascinating families facilitate immune evasion and survival within the human host during a malaria infection.⁣
⁣
Read here: ⁣
kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F...

ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books.

kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Mar 19

Sam, Shiroh and I wrote a review about the latest on the surface proteins of infected-erythrocytes in malaria. PfEMP1, RIFINs, weird antibodies and immune manipulation. Check it out here:
authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books.

authors.elsevier.com

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Mar 13

Congratulations Helen!!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · Mar 9

The symposium to celebrate Mark Carrington's career is coming soon. You have until 15th to book in. A great day of science, particularly if you are excited about kinetoplastids! And a day of celebration.

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