Q&A with Alan Ardito: Investigating Malaria’s Impact on the Brain to Find Therapeutic Targets
April 22, 2025PhRMA Foundation awardee Alan Ardito, a PhD student at Brown University, is studying how the parasite that causes malaria impacts the human brain.
When Alan Ardito joined the military after high school, he never imagined he would one day end up in a research lab. But while serving his country, he learned a loved one had been diagnosed with cancer, leading him to spend a lot of time learning about the disease.
“I just really found an aptitude for it where I never thought I would have one,” he said. “And the moment I walked out of the military, I started undergrad education and loved every second sense.”
Now a PhD student at Brown University, Ardito received a PhRMA Foundation 2025 Predoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine for his research on how the parasite that causes malaria impacts the human brain. Malaria caused about 619,000 deaths in 2022, with most fatalities being children under five.
In cerebral malaria, the most severe form of disease, infected red blood cells adhere to blood vessels in the brain, leading to blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Ardito is studying these molecular processes to hopefully find new drug targets for treating cerebral malaria.
Watch this video to learn more about Ardito and his research.
Learn more about the PhRMA Foundation’s fellowship and grant opportunities. Check out more researcher stories on our blog.
