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Dr Leanne Robinson

Senior Research Scientist, Laboratory Head

About

Areas of particular interest include:

  • measuring the impact of intensified malaria control on the epidemiology and transmission of malaria in PNG
  • revealing the burden of Plasmodium vivax infection and illness attributable to relapses from hypnozoites
  • understanding how clinical immunity to malaria is acquired by infants, children and pregnant women and identifying immunological correlates of protection
  • defining how immunological memory to malaria develops, and the impact of pre-natal exposure to malaria on immune responses and all-cause morbidity during infancy
  • discovering serological markers of recent malaria exposure for development as potential tools in pre-elimination settings
  • determining the infectivity of symptomatic and asymptomatic P. falciparum and P. vivax infections to mosquitoes
  • conducting intervention trials of anti-malarial drug combinations and intermittent preventative therapy during infancy and pregnancy
  • developing drug regimes for malaria and filariasis mass drug administration campaigns
  • testing in vitro drug sensitivity and drug resistance
  • investigating effective strategies for population-level screening of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency for use in future mass treatment programs that may utilise primaquine or tafenoquine.

Publications

Selected publications from Dr Leanne Robinson

Robinson LJ, Wampfler R, Betuela I, Karl S, White MT, Li Wai Suen C, Hofmann N, Kinboro B, Waltmann A, Brewster J, et al: Strategies for understanding and reducing the Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale hypnozoite reservoir in Papua New Guinean children: A randomised placebo- controlled trial and mathematical model. PLoS Med. 2015 Oct 27;12(10):e1001891. PMID: 26505753

Hofmann N, Mwingira F, Shekalaghe S, Robinson LJ, Mueller I, Felger I. Ultra-Sensitive Detection of Plasmodium falciparum by Amplification of Multi-Copy Subtelomeric Targets. PLoS Med. 2015 Mar 3;12(3):e1001788. PMID: 25734259.

Koepfli C*, Robinson LJ*, Rarau P, Salib M, Sambale N, Wampfler R, Betuela I, Nuitragool W, Barry AE, Siba P, Felger I, Mueller I. Blood-Stage Parasitaemia and Age Determine Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax Gametocytaemia in Papua New Guinea. PLoS One. 2015;10(5):e0126747. PMID: 25996916.

Atwell JE, Thumar B, Robinson LJ, Tobby R, Yambo P, Ome-Kaius M, Siba PM, Unger HW, Rogerson SJ, King CL, Karron RA Impact of Placental Malaria and Hypergammaglobulinemia on Transplacental Transfer of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Antibody in Papua New Guinea. J Infect Dis. 2015 Aug 3. PMID: 26238686

Unger HW, Ome-Kaius M, Wangnapi RA, Umbers AJ, Hanieh S, Suen CS, Robinson LJ, Rosanas-Urgell A, Wapling J, Lufele E, Kongs C, Samol P, Sui D, Singirok D, Bardaji A, Schofield L, Menendez C, Betuela I, Siba P, Mueller I, Rogerson SJ. Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus azithromycin for the prevention of low birthweight in Papua New Guinea: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Med. 2015, 13(1):9. PubMed PMID: 25591391

Laman M, Moore BR, Benjamin JM, Yadi G, Bona C, Warrel J, Kattenberg JH, Koleala T, Manning L, Kasian B, Robinson LJ, Sambale N, Lorry L, Karl S, Davis WA, Rosanas-Urgell A, Mueller I, Siba PM, Betuela I, Davis TM. Artemisinin-naphthoquine versus artemether-lumefantrine for uncomplicated malaria in Papua New Guinean children: an open-label randomized trial. PLoS Med. 2014,11(12). PubMed PMID: 25549086

Senn N, Rarau P, Stanisic DI, Robinson L, Barnadas C, Manong D, Salib M, Iga J, Tarongka N, Ley S, Rosanas-Urgell A, Aponte JJ, Zimmerman PA, Beeson JG, Schofield L, Siba P, Rogerson SJ, Reeder JC, Mueller I. Intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in Papua New Guinean infants exposed to Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax: a randomized controlled trial. PLoS Med. 2012, 9(3). PubMed PMID: 22479155

Rosanas-Urgell A, Lin E, Manning L, Rarau P, Laman M, Senn N, Grimberg BT, Tavul L, Stanisic DI, Robinson LJ, Aponte JJ, Dabod E, Reeder JC, Siba P, Zimmerman PA, Davis TM, King CL, Michon P, Mueller I. Reduced risk of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Papua New Guinean children with Southeast Asian ovalocytosis in two cohorts and a case-control study. PLoS Med. 2012, 9(9). PubMed PMID: 22973182

Robinson LJ, D’Ombrain MC, Stanisic DI, Taraika J, Bernard N, Richards JS, Beeson JG, Tavul L, Michon P, Mueller I, Schofield L. Cellular tumor necrosis factor, gamma interferon, and interleukin-6 responses as correlates of immunity and risk of clinical Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children from Papua New Guinea. Infect Immun. 2009, 77 (7). PubMed PMID: 19380468

D’Ombrain MC, Robinson LJ, Stanisic DI, Taraika J, Bernard N, Michon P, Mueller I, Schofield L. Association of early interferon-gamma production with immunity to clinical malaria: a longitudinal study among Papua New Guinean children. Clin Infect Dis. 2008, 47 (11). PubMed PMID: 18947328

Lab research projects

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