Chip-Based Assay of Adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes to Cells Under Flow.

Unique to Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites, the mature asexual stages of the life cycle are absent from the peripheral blood stream. Using syringe pumps and commercially available microslides, it is possible to mimic the blood flow, and investigate the interactions of erythrocytes infected by well-defined P. falciparum isolates for their ability to bind to various tissue receptors under physiological flow conditions. This chapter outlines the techniques needed to investigate how parasites bind to endothelial cells under physiological sheer stress conditions.