Alfred Cortés Closas

Alfred Cortés Closas is a Research Professor at ICREA, affiliated with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), where he leads the Malaria Epigenetics Lab. His career spans institutions such as the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (IMR), MRC National Institute for Medical Research (London), and IRB Barcelona.

• PhD in Molecular Biology from CID-CSIC, Barcelona

His research focuses on epigenetic regulation of gene expression in Plasmodium falciparum, including mechanisms of epigenetic variation, sexual conversion, and heat-shock response. He investigates how chromatin-based processes contribute to parasite adaptation and disease transmission.

Key article trends include epigenetic mechanisms in malaria, sexual development regulation, and transcriptional responses to environmental stress. His work combines genome-wide approaches with targeted studies of variant genes like clag3 and PfAP2-G.

The lab's projects address epigenomic variation, parasite adaptation to febrile temperatures, and bet-hedging strategies for survival. He collaborates with institutions in Europe and beyond, maintaining active fieldwork in malaria-endemic regions.

Contact: alfred.cortes@isglobal.org | ISGlobal Website