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Vaccine Discovery for Pediatric Malaria | Jonathan Kurtis | TEDxNewBedford

1,596 views · Published 18 December 2017 · 23:01 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: TEDx Talks · 2017 · Nonprofits & Activism

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Dr. Jonathan Kurtis shares the inside story of his quest for a world-changing malaria vaccine.  Working around the world, Kurtis has used innovative science to isolate some of the key proteins in the relentless cycle of malaria parasitology.  Jonathan Kurtis, MD, PhD, is the Stanley M. Aronson, MD, Professor of Pathology and chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Brown University. He is the director of laboratories for the Lifespan Center for International Health Research, where he previously served as director. His research applies the techniques of molecular biology, immunology, and population biology to identify vaccine candidates for both malaria and schistosomiasis. By analyzing the relationship between specific immune responses and naturally acquired resistance in endemic populations, Dr. Kurtis identifies and characterizes new vaccine candidates. Most recently he has identified a novel vaccine candidate for falciparum malaria, the greatest single-agent killer of children in the world. In addition, its ravages stymie socioeconomic development. As Dr. Kurtis says, “Where malaria prospers, people don’t.” In 2014, his laboratory published a study in Science that showed encouraging results for a novel vaccine candidate. They are poised to begin Phase 1 clinical trials of this vaccine.

Dr. Kurtis received his BA in geology/biology, his PhD in molecular parasitology, and his MD from Brown University. He completed post-doctoral training in malaria immuno-epidemiology from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Kisumu, Kenya. Dr. Kurtis completed his residency training in clinical pathology and his fellowship training in transfusion medicine and coagulation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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