ProfessorAlyssa Barry

Knowledge Areas
infectious diseases, malaria, genetics, genomics, immunology, epidemiology,
population studies

Projects
Alyssa's research seeks to understand the complex dynamic that exists between
host, pathogen and environment that contributes to patterns of exposure,
infection and disease. The research explores systems biology on a population
level using well-characterised epidemiological studies and has a strong
translational focus.

Current projects include:

(i) malaria parasite genomic surveillance to understand transmission dynamics
and antimalarial drug resistance and how they change in response to
interventions;

(ii) characterising malaria vaccine candidate diversity and how this
contributes to immune escape;

(iii) understanding how immunity develops to diverse malaria parasites;

(iv) identifying host and parasite factors contributing to asymptomatic
malaria;

(v) metagenomics of Buruli ulcer;

(vi) systems epidemiology of COVID-19 in Western Victoria

The group is using cutting edge technologies to characterise pathogens and
their hosts, combining this information with epidemiological data and advanced
analytical approaches (bioinformatics, population genetics and biostatistics)
to answer key questions in malaria biology and epidemiology. Our work is
informing strategies for infectious disease control and elimination including
stratification of control efforts, diagnostics, drugs and vaccines.

We work closely with a large network of local and international collaborators
including field researchers and malaria control programs. We frequently host
trainees for advanced molecular training.

Alyssa's Deakin/Burnet co-appointment aims to strengthen and expand
collaboration in genomics, infectious diseases and microbiome research across
the two organisations.