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Dr Sam Wassmer

Ph.D.

Associate Professor
of Malaria Pathogenesis

Room
236a

LSHTM
Keppel Street
London
WC1E 7HT
United Kingdom

Tel.
+44 (0) 20 7612 7888

Sam Wassmer (PhD) is a medical parasitologist, whose research activities focus on the effects of malaria infection on the brain. He leads an international team of multi-disciplinary researchers in India, Switzerland, the US, Gabon and the UK to develop new diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches for malaria patients. He is the Co-Director of the Malaria Centre at LSHTM, which aims to connect and support over 300 malaria researchers internally and externally through seminars, social events and scientific retreats.

He is known for his innovative and collaborative work in malaria-endemic settings that integrates advanced neuroimaging, molecular diagnostics and artificial intelligence aimed at a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to cerebral malaria. His projects have been funded by the Wellcome Trust, the MRC and the NIH and have led him to work and live in Malawi, the US, and the UK. Sam is closely involved in capacity building through long-standing partnerships with research institutes across Africa and Southeast Asia.

Affiliations

Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
Department of Infection Biology

Centres

Malaria Centre

Teaching

Sam has successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching  at the LSHTM and has become an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). He has a wide range of teaching activities, which include:

  • Module Organiser for Immunology of Clinical Disease (IDM3167),
  • Deputy Module Organiser for the Distance Learning Malaria Module (IDM503),
  • inflammation, immunopathology of infectious diseases & malaria pathogenesis (IDM3120),
  • malaria blood stages & immunology (IDM3177),
  • innate immunity, inflammation and immunopathogenesis (IDM3134),
  • malaria pathophysiology (Distance Learning IDM103, IDM213, IDM503),
  • MSc exam marking (both intensive and distance learning).

He is the Chair of the Exam Board for the Immunology of Infectious Diseases MSc, participates in the annual field trip for the Medical Parasitology MSc, tutors students from both courses, and is involved in the Mentorship Scheme at LSHTM.

Research

Sam Wassmer's team investigates factors that lead to the development of cerebral malaria in patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum. This includes specific virulence factors of the parasite, as well as host-related determinants across cohorts from different age groups and geographic origins. Sam is also interested in the development of cost-effective and easily deployable diagnostic tools, specifically designed for malaria-endemic settings. 

Research Area
Drug discovery and development
Infectious disease policy
Innate immunity
Parasites
Public health
Equity
Protozoa
Education
Discipline
Genomics
Immunoepidemiology
Immunopathology
Cell biology
Medicine
Molecular biology
Parasitology
Pathology
Education
Vaccinology
Disease and Health Conditions
Infectious disease
Malaria
Neurological disease
Kidney disease
Country
Gabon
Malawi
Region
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa (all income levels)

Selected Publications

Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 variants induce cell swelling and disrupt the blood-brain barrier in cerebral malaria.
Adams Y; Olsen RW; Bengtsson A; Dalgaard N; Zdioruk M; Satpathi S; Behera PK; Sahu PK; Lawler SE; Qvortrup K
2021
Journal of Experimental Medicine
Clinical and epidemiological characterization of severe Plasmodium vivax malaria in Gujarat, India.
Anvikar AR; van Eijk AM; Shah A; Upadhyay KJ; Sullivan SA; Patel AJ; Joshi JM; Tyagi S; Singh R; Carlton JM
2020
Virulence
Plasmodium falciparum sexual parasites develop in human erythroblasts and affect erythropoiesis.
Neveu G; Richard C; Dupuy F; Behera P; Volpe F; Subramani PA; Marcel-Zerrougui B; Vallin P; Andrieu M; Minz AM
2020
Blood
CD8+ T cells and human cerebral malaria: a shifting episteme.
Rénia L; Grau GE; Wassmer SC
2020
The Journal of clinical investigation
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveals Different Courses of Disease in Pediatric and Adult Cerebral Malaria.
Sahu PK; Hoffmann A; Majhi M; Pattnaik R; Patterson C; Mahanta KC; Mohanty AK; Mohanty RR; Joshi S; Mohanty A
2020
Clinical Infectious Diseases
Malaria inflammation by xanthine oxidase-produced reactive oxygen species.
Ty MC; Zuniga M; Götz A; Kayal S; Sahu PK; Mohanty A; Mohanty S; Wassmer SC; Rodriguez A
2019
EMBO Molecular Medicine
New Syndromes Identified by Neuroimaging during Cerebral Malaria.
Hoffmann A; Wassmer SC
2018
The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cerebral Malaria Patients Reveals Distinct Pathogenetic Processes in Different Parts of the Brain.
Mohanty S; Benjamin LA; Majhi M; Panda P; Kampondeni S; Sahu PK; Mohanty A; Mahanta KC; Pattnaik R; Mohanty RR
2017
mSphere
Angiotensin receptors and β-catenin regulate brain endothelial integrity in malaria.
Gallego-Delgado J; Basu-Roy U; Ty M; Alique M; Fernandez-Arias C; Movila A; Gomes P; Weinstock A; Xu W; Edagha I
2016
The Journal of clinical investigation
Fatal Pediatric Cerebral Malaria Is Associated with Intravascular Monocytes and Platelets That Are Increased with HIV Coinfection.
Hochman SE; Madaline TF; Wassmer SC; Mbale E; Choi N; Seydel KB; Whitten RO; Varughese J; Grau GER; Kamiza S
2015
mBio
Pathogenesis of cerebral malaria: new diagnostic tools, biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches.
Sahu PK; Satpathi S; Behera PK; Mishra SK; Mohanty S; Wassmer SC
2015
Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
Glycophorins, Blood Groups, and Protection from Severe Malaria.
Wassmer SC; Carlton JM
2015
Trends in parasitology
Investigating the Pathogenesis of Severe Malaria: A Multidisciplinary and Cross-Geographical Approach.
Wassmer SC; Taylor TE; Rathod PK; Mishra SK; Mohanty S; Arevalo-Herrera M; Duraisingh MT; Smith JD
2015
The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
Loss of endothelial protein C receptors links coagulation and inflammation to parasite sequestration in cerebral malaria in African children.
Moxon CA; Wassmer SC; Milner DA; Chisala NV; Taylor TE; Seydel KB; Molyneux ME; Faragher B; Esmon CT; Downey C
2013
Blood
Platelets and microparticles in cerebral malaria: the unusual suspects
Wassmer SC; Combes V; Grau GER
2011
Drug Discovery Today: Disease Mechanisms
See more Publications