Fatou Joof, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar | Fatou.Joof@seattlechildrens.org
Fatou completed her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the MRC Gambia Unit and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where she developed a strong interest in malaria pathogenesis and the impact of parasite and host genetics on disease severity. She is passionate about translational infectious disease research and supporting scientific capacity building in Africa.
In the Vaughan lab, Fatou works on generating transgenic Plasmodium falciparum parasites. She also works on gametocyte production and mosquito infections, supporting the lab’s parasite genetic cross studies. In her free time, Fatou enjoys braiding hair, cooking and creating food content for social media.
Publications
1. Joof F, Hu R, Seydel KB, Cohee LM, Zheng Y, Smith JD. Febrile temperature augments ring-stage Plasmodium falciparum adhesion to brain endothelial cells. J Infect Dis. (2025) Sep 10:jiaf474. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaf474. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40929367.
2. Joof F, Hu R, Saidi A, Seydel KB, Cohee LM, Zheng Y, Smith JD. Plasma from older children in Malawi inhibits Plasmodium falciparum binding in 3D brain microvessels. J Infect Dis. (2024) Jun 14:jiae315. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiae315.
3. Howard C, Joof F, Hu R, Smith JD, Zheng Y. Probing cerebral malaria inflammation in 3D human brain microvessels. Cell Rep. (2023) Oct 31;42(10):113253. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113253.
4. Fatou Joof, Elena Hartmann, Alison Jarvis, Alhassan Colley, Marion Avril, Andrew Prentice, Carla Cerami (2023) Genetic variations in human ATP2B4 gene alter Plasmodium falciparum in vitro growth in RBCs from Gambian adults. Malar J. 2023 Jan 5;22(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s12936-022-04359-4.
5. Fatou Joof, Morgan Goheen and Carla Cerami (2021). Artemisinin Activity in Red Blood Cells from Anemic Children. Am J Trop Med Hyg;104(1):271-275. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0304.
6. Baba Dieye, Muna Affara, Lassana Sangare, Fatou Joof, Yaye D. Ndiaye, Jules F. Gomis. et al (2016). West Africa International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research: Drug Resistance Patterns to Artemether–Lumefantrine in Senegal, Mali, and The Gambia. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 95(5), pp. 1054–1060 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.16-0053