Arba Ager, Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Building G South Campus
15667 SW 127 Avenue, Miami Florida 33177
Telephone: 305-252-4383
Fax: 305-252-4385
Email: aager@med.miami.edu

Research Interests:

Evaluation of chemotherapeutic agents against malarial infections.

Studying pharmacokinetics and toxicity parameters of antimalarial agents.  

Evaluation of new agents in treating Alzheimer’s disease using a transgenic rat model.
 
Evaluate new antigen capture diagnostic tests for infectious diseases.

Our laboratory is interested in testing new chemotherapeutic agents against both sporozoite and blood induced malaria infections. Our mosquito colony provides the mosquitoes for the harvesting of the sporozoite stages to use in evaluating agents for prophylactic activity against malaria. We are performing pharmacokinetic studies on several antimalarial agents to detect their duration of activity and active metabolites. Both short and long term toxicity tests are being done with several antimalarial agents. A new transgenic rat colony provides rats that have human genes inserted for the overproduction of amyloid that develop pathology similar to Alzheimer’s disease. These rats are used to test new agents to alter this Alzheimer-like syndrome. Fields studies are done in Central and South America to evaluate new antigen capture tests for malaria and other infectious diseases.

Selected Publications:

Guan, J., Zhang, Q., O’Neil, M., Obaldia, N., Ager, A., Gerena, L., Lin, A. Antimalarial Activity of New Pyrrolo [3,2-f] quinazoline – 1,3 – diamine Derivatives. Antimicro. Agents & Chemother. 49:4929-33, 2005.

Zhang, Q., Guan, J., Sacci, J., Ager, A., Ellis, W., Milhous, W., Kyle, D., Lin, A. Unambiguous Synthesis and Prophylactic Antimalarial Activities of Imidazolidinedione Derivatives. J. Med. Chem. 48:6472-81, 2005.

Avery, Mitchell A., Alvim-Gaston, Maria, Vroman, Jeffrey A., Wu, Baogen, Ager,Arba L., Peters, Wallace, Charman, William. Structure-Activity Relationships of the Antimalarial Agent Artemisinin. 7. Direct Modification of (+)-Artemisinin and In Vivo Antimalarial Screening of New, Potential Preclinical Antimalarial Candidates. J. Med. Chem. 45:4321-4335, 2002.

Jensen, N.P., Ager, A.L., Bliss, R.A., Canfield, C.J., Kotecka, B.M., Rieckmann, K.H., Terpinski, J., Jacobus, D.P. Phenoxypropoxybiguanides, Prodrugs of DHFR-Inhibiting Diaminotriazine Antimalarials. J. Med. Chem. 44:3925-3931, 2001.

Vennerstrom, J.L., Ager, A.L., Andersen, S.L., Grace, J.M., Wongpanich, V., Angerhoffer, C.K., Hu, J.K., Wesche, D.L. Assessment of the antimalarial potential of tetraoxane WR 148999. Am. J. Trop. Med. & Hyg. 62:573-578, 2000.

Avery, M.A., McLean, G., Edwards, G., Ager, A.L. Structure-activity relationships of peroxidase-based artemisinin antimalarials. In: Biologically Active Natural Products: Pharmaceuticals. Cutler, S.J., Cuter, H.G. (eds.) CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, p. 121-132, 2000.

Palmer, C.J., King, S.D., Cuadrado, R.R., Perez, E., Baum, M.K., Ager, A.L. Evaluation of the MRL Diagnostics Dengue Fever Virus IgM Capture ELISA and the PanBio Rapid Immunochromatographic Test for the Diagnosis of Dengue Fever in Jamaica. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37:1600-1601, 1999.

Palmer, C.J., Validum, L. Vorndam, V., Clark, G., Validum, C., Cummings, R., Lindo, J., Ager, A., Cuadrado, R. Dengue in Guyana. Lancet 354:304, 1999.

Palmer, C.J., Validum, L., Lindo, J., Campa, A., Validum, C., Makler, M., Cuadrado, R., Ager, A. Field evaluation of the OptiMAL rapid diagnostic test during antimalarial therapy in Guyana. Trans. Royal Soc. Trop. Med. & Hyg. 93:517-518, 1999.

Palmer, C.J., Dubon, J.M., Koenig, E., Perez, E., Ager, A., Jayaweera, D., Cuadrado, R.R., Rivera, A., Rubido, A., Palmer, D.A. Field evaluation of the Determine Rapid Human Immunodeficiency Virus Diagnostic Test in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37:3698-3700, 1999.