Contributor: Jaco de Ridder
Background
Jaco de Ridder is employed in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Pretoria, where his research interests are in bioinformatic analyses with application on malaria and other parasites.
Research interests
His research is conducted as a member of the malaria group in the Department of Biochemistry and focusses on applying bioinformatic methods to examine parasite genome data. Malarial gene sequence motifs have been discovered that may be associated with the ability of the parasite to evade the immune system of humans. The implication of this information for the design of vaccines and obstruction of the immune evasion mechanism of the parasite is also currently under investigation. He is also involved in developing algorithms to functionally cluster different genes on the basis of their individual oligonucleotide signatures.
Contact information
Jaco de Ridder, Tel: +27 12 420 5842, Fax: +27 12 362-5302