iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

“Is the HIV pandemic over?” My first lecture of my tenure at Gresham College is now available on line. Want to know more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaAd...

youtube.com

Is the HIV pandemic over? - Matt Higgins

YouTube video by Gresham College

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

How do African trypanosomes regulate the complement system? Check out our new study from @BiochemCook, in which he identified a new trypanosome receptor which binds to the core C3bBb convertase of the complement system and blocks its activity. Real all about it! doi.org/10.64898/202...

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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 15/05/2026

Scavenger receptor CD163 detoxes #hemoglobin (Hb) via haptoglobin–Hb (Hp-Hb) uptake, but can also bind free Hb directly. Richard Zhou & @parasitematt.bsky.social solve the CD163-Hb structure to reveal that CD163 arms allow receptor promiscuity when Hp is absent @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4eOLuIv

Flexibility of the arms of CD163 allows binding to diverse ligands. Left: A comparison of the structure of trimeric CD163 bound to Hb (top) or HpHb (bottom). Right: Close-up views of each arm of the CD163 trimer bound to Hb (top) and HpHb (bottom) showing the different arm-ligand interactions in each complex.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Our latest study of the scavenger receptor CD163, led by Richard Zhou. This follows our previous study of how CD163 uses its remarkable molecular architecture to bind haptoglobin-haemoglobin. We now show how its flexible arms allow haemoglobin binding, revealing how ligand promiscuity works.

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EMBO Molecular Medicine @embomolmed.org · 03/03/2026

Structure-guided design of a PfCyRPA-based #vaccine against blood-stage #malaria ➡️ doi.org/10.1038/s44321-026-00376-x By N. Alam, @parasitematt.bsky.social and colleagues @ox.ac.uk @kavlioxford.bsky.social

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Introducing our new blood-stage malaria vaccine immunogen based on the essential invasion protein PfCyRPA. By understanding where on PfCyRPA the best antibodies bind, we used structure guided design to generate PfCyRPA-EM, which contains only the epitopes of the best antibodies.

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Melissa Hart @melissa-natalie.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Excited about parasites? Love watching movies? Come join our Wellcome-funded project! Parasitology friends, please do share far and wide.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

We are very much looking forward to being @courbongautier.bsky.social’s new home!!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Check out our latest study on the PfRIPR protein, essential for the malaria parasite to get inside our blood cells. We show how antibodies block the function of PfRIPR by preventing its flexible hinges from bending, or by stopping it from compacting as part of its mechanism.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

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

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

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 · 21/07/2025

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/

jobs.cam.ac.uk

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.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

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 · 02/07/2025

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.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

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!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

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!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

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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Sam Chamberlain @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

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 🧵 1/6

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

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 · 01/06/2025

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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Sam Chamberlain @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

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...

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

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

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

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...

authors.elsevier.com

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

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

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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Harry Low’s Lab @lowlab.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

❗️Exciting upcoming post-doc opportunity in the lab❗️🔔 If you have expertise in cryo-EM and bacterial secretion systems are your thing, then I’ll soon be advertising a long-term position funded by Wellcome Trust. Feel free to DM or email for early enquiries.. Thanks!

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Emma Slack @mucosalimmunology.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

We are recruiting @ox.ac.uk @dunnschool.bsky.social for a joint project between Kevin Foster's group and mine! Cluster hire of two postdocs interested in: 1) Mucosal immunology and oral vaccine development my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru... 2) Microbiology my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru... Please share!

my.corehr.com

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Another job available in our team! We are seeking a project manager to help us to manage our malaria vaccine development projects. See here: my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

We have a position available for a research assistant to join the team to test our rationally designed malaria vaccines. A fun job with a lovely team of people and an important project funded by the Gates Foundation. Come and join us! my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

my.corehr.com

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British Society for Parasitology @bspparasitology.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

🚨 Retirement Symposium for Prof Mark Carrington of the University of Cambridge Our #Trypanosoma colleagues may want to attend this symposium in Cambridge on the 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡, 2025 (register by the 15th!) - Details at QR code & tinyurl.com/2uw8tryu

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Philippe Bastin's Lab @bastinlab.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Come and celebrate the exceptional career of Mark Carrington (24th March at University of Cambridge)!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

It is a great honour to invite you to a symposium to celebrate the career of Mark Carrington. An exciting set of talks, particularly if you are fascinated by trypanosomes.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Congratulations to @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social for winning the best talk prize at today's UK Natural Killer cell meeting!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

A really fun day out at the UK NK cell meeting. Thanks to @mjwsim.bsky.social for organising a great day and for inviting @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social to talk about his work on how RIFINs bind to the KIR immune receptors to modulate NK function in malaria.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

New science from Richard Zhou... When our blood cells lyse, they release haemoglobin, which is dangerous to our body when free. We detoxify this by binding it to a serum protein, haptoglobin and taking it up into macrophages, using the receptor CD163. Richard showed how CD163 works!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Congratulations to Dr Richard Zhou! And thanks to his lovely examiners @doryenbubeck.bsky.social and Yvonne Jones for giving him a really engaging viva. Watch out for his nice paper, coming soon. A proud supervisor.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Welcome to @melissa-natalie.bsky.social! Outstanding parasite biologist. Wellcome fellow. Expert on how malaria parasites get into our blood cells! So many cool discoveries on the way!

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Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford @kavlioxford.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Congratulations to Kuang-Ting Ko (Higgins Lab) on passing her viva! Her thesis title is "Structural Characterisation of Antigens for Malaria Transmission-Blocking Vaccines", and her examiners were Andrew Blagborough (Cambridge University) & Clinton Lau (@BiochemOxford).

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Congratulations to Dr Kuang-Ting! Expert on the gametocyte surface and structural characteriser of transmission blocking malaria vaccine immunogens. I’m a proud supervisor today!

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MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology @mrclmb.ac.uk · 12/12/2024

Exciting 3-year postdoc opportunity with @carter-lab.bsky.social within a programme aimed at identifying the links between microtubule motors and axonal cargos. Read more about the role here: www.nature.com/naturecareer... Apply by 30 DEC #ScienceJobs #CambridgeJobs #PostdocJobs #GenomeEngineering

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Introducing @bethbs.bsky.social who is working out what makes trypanosomes able to infect humans!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Heading down to @wellcometrust.bsky.social for a meeting of PhD program directors. We have been hugely grateful for 25 years support for our Structural Biology PhD program. Only this week I caught up with one of our previous students, @augustsilale.bsky.social, still making exciting discoveries!!

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Welcome to @alexandercook.bsky.social. Expert on the trypanosome surface and discoverer of mechanisms of complement regulation.

alexandercook.bsky.social

Alex Cook (@alexandercook.bsky.social)

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Welcome to @sam-chamberlain.bsky.social. Expert in understanding how malaria parasites play games with our immune receptors.

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Matt Higgins @parasitematt.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

I’m looking forward to hearing Irene Tracey, our Vice Chancellor, editing the radio 4 today program. Expecting lots of sparky insights into brains, science and how to make universities flourish.

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