Ayi Kodjo

Ayi Kodjo is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Sandra A. Rotman Laboratories, McLaughlin Rotman Centre for Global Health within the Translational Research Pillar.

Ayi investigates how malaria has exerted an impact on the human genome. Several mutations found in red blood cells have been shown to be protective against malaria infection, including G6PD-deficiency, sickle cell anemia and the thalassemias. Ayi studies the mechanisms by which these mutations may provide protection and how we might exploit this knowledge to design new therapies for severe malaria. Currently, he is working on understanding the mechanisms of a novel mutation in humans, pyruvate kinase deficiency, and how this confers protection to malaria.