Human malaria caused by the protozoan Plasmodium falciparum is a major public health problem of many countries in tropical areas. Hundreds of millions of people are infected with malaria every year and this results in several million deaths annually, predominantly in children. The increasing frequency of drug resistant parasites and the breakdown of malaria control measures in many countries has further worsened the situation. Research progress in the laboratory focuses on understanding facets of the basic biology of the parasite and its relationship to the human host, together with studies to identify components of the parasite, that may be used in vaccines. Research projects within the laboratory make use of a wide range of techniques: from cell biology, such as in vitro culture of the parasite, metabolic labelling studies, immunochemistry to those of state-of-the-art molecular biology.