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ABSTRACT
Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the most severe form of human malaria, undergoes dramatic metabolic shifts across its complex life cycle. Lipid metabolism is critical for membrane biogenesis, energy storage, and developmental transitions. Despite increasing recognition of lipid droplet biology in other eukaryotes, how P. falciparum stores and regulates neutral lipids remains poorly understood. 

My PhD research investigates the formation, composition, and dynamics of lipid-rich compartments during blood-stage development of P. falciparum, using advanced microscopy techniques including Nile Red spectral imaging and 3D focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). During asexual stages, the parasite forms triacylglycerol-rich lipid droplets that are essential for rapid growth and replication. In contrast, female gametocytes contain a novel, likely cholesteryl ester-enriched compartment associated with the protein PfABCG2. This structure exhibits a distinct, tightly curved membrane morphology and strong association with the endoplasmic reticulum. Interestingly, female gametocytes can still mature without accumulating neutral lipids or accessing to the neutral lipids, suggesting a specialised role for this compartment in preparing for transmission.

Together, these findings reveal that P. falciparum employs developmentally tailored, stage- and sex-specific strategies for neutral lipid storage, offering new insights into parasite biology and potential targets for transmission-blocking interventions.