Research and professional experience:

1. Personal Statement

I am a biomedical scientist holding a PhD awarded by the University of Antwerp (Belgium) in 2018. I have 14 years experience in malaria research, which started in 2006 when I was preparing my Master thesis in Applied Biological Sciences at University of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Before starting my PhD training, I participated in several malaria research projects in Burkina Faso and in Japan. Between 2014-2018, I carried out my PhD project entitled “Genetic and immunological factors contributing to inter-individual variation in susceptibility to malaria in early infancy” under the supervision of Prof. Halidou Tinto (CRUN, Burkina Faso), Prof. Anna Rosanas-Urgell (ITM, Belgium) and Prof. Luc Kestens (University of Antwerp, Belgium). My current research interest is to understand how placental malaria drives heterogeneity in immune responses to pathogens molecules/malaria antigens and, influences the build up of naturally acquired immunity during the first year of life. I am also involved in a clinical trial assessing a candidate malaria vaccine known as R21. My field of expertise includes malaria epidemiology, immune responses to malaria, Human genetics and malaria susceptibility.

2. Positions and Employment

Since 17/07/2019 : Associate researcher

27/02/2019- 16/07/2019 : Research assistant

01/10/2013- 26/02/2019 : Research engineer

Other Experience and Professional Memberships

01/01/2014- 13/12/2018 : PhD fellow  at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp (Belgium)

3. Selected Peer-reviewed Publications

Natama HM, Moncunill G, Rovira-Vallbona E, Sanz H, Sorgho H, Aguilar R, Coulibaly-Traoré M, Somé MA; Susana Scott,Innocent Valéa, Petra F. Mens,Henk D.F.H Schallig, Luc Kestens, Halidou Tinto, Carlota Dobaño, Anna Rosanas-Urgell. Modulation of innate immune responses at birth by prenatal malaria exposure and association with malaria risk during the first year of life. BMC Medicine (2018), 16 :198. DOI: 10.1186/s12916-018-1187-3.

Natama HM, Rovira-Vallbona E, Somé MA, Zango SH, Sorgho H, Guetens P, Coulibaly-Traoré M, Valéa I, Mens PF, Schallig HDFH, Kestens L, Tinto H, Rosanas-Urgell A. Malaria incidence and prevalence during the first 12 months of life in Burkina Faso: a birth-cohort study. Malaria Journal (2018); 17:163

Natama HM, Rovira-Vallbona E, Sorgho H, Somé MA, Coulibaly-Traoré M, Scott S, Zango SH, Sawadogo O, Zongo SC, Valéa I, Mens PF, Schallig HDFH, Kestens L, Tinto H, Rosanas-Urgell A. Additional screening and treatment of malaria during pregnancy provides further protection against malaria and non-malaria fevers during the first year of life. Journal of Infectious Diseases (2018), jiy140, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiy140.

Natama HM, Ouedraogo DF, Sorgho H, Rovira-Vallbona E, Sera-Casas E, Somé MA, Coulibaly-Traoré M, Mens PF, Kestens L, Tinto H, Rosanas-Urgell A: Diagnosing congenital malaria in a high-transmission setting: clinical relevance and usefulness of P. falciparum HRP2-based testing. Scientific Reports (2017), 7(1): 2080. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02173-6.

Herbas MS, Natama HM and Suzuki H. Alpha tocopherol transfer protein gene inhibition enhances the acquired immune response during malaria infection in mice. Parasitology Research (2014) 113(3): 1019. DOI 10.1007/s00436-013-3736-1.

4. Research Support

(Sponsor-Start date – End date: Position) /(Structure de financement-Début-Fin): Postes

PhD fellowship (01/01/2014-13/12/2018) /Belgian Development Cooperation-DGD (collaboration CRUN-ITM, Framework agreement 3 & 4): PhD fellow

AREF-EDCTP preparatory fellowship (01/05/2021-31/10/2021)/ European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership: Postdoc fellow