Research

My research program focuses on understanding the role of autoimmunity during infections such as malaria, Dengue virus, and other infections. Specifically, we work on studying the roles of autoantibodies and B-cells during these infections. Most of these projects are in collaboration with New York University and Universidad de Córdoba in Montería, Colombia.  We focus mostly on patient samples suffering from malaria or other tropical infections and analyze immunological factors such as antibodies, cytokines, and immune cell populations and their relationship with pathology or protection. Specifically, we are focusing on the following three research areas:

• Pathological role of autoantibodies during tropical infections: studying the role of autoantibodies in promoting anemia and other pathologies in patients during malaria, Dengue virus, and other tropical infections.

• Beneficial role of autoantibodies during tropical infections: studying the role of autoantibodies in targeting infected cells and its association with protection markers during P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria.

• Mechanisms regulating autoantibody production during malaria: studying the role of different factors that could be promoting the production of autoantibodies during malaria caused by P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria. 

Rivera-Correa et al Frontiers in Immunology 2022