Publications
Hopson HD, Herbert-Mainero A, Bouopda-Tuedom AG, Nanssong-Vomo CT, Tumamo Fotso B, Kiam BC, Ibrahima I, Onguene C, Abate L, Omelianczyk RI, Evans HD, Horton LE, Band G, Lamb TJ, Ayong LS, Nsango SE, and EM Leffler. Sickle cell haemoglobin status shapes malaria parasite genotype in asymptomatic infections. Nature Microbiology, 2026 Oct 8. [Free view-only version] [bioRxiv version].
Hopson HD, Omelianczyk RI, Ramirez A, Little JH, Clark N, Sigala PA, and EM Leffler. Evolutionary rate covariation across malaria parasite species enables inference of protein interactions. Genome Biology and Evolution, 2026 Aug 17;18(8):evag203.
Haffener PE, Al-Riyami AZ, Al-Zadjali S, Busby GBJ, Al Mahdhuri S, Al-Rawahi M, Al Hosni S, Al Marhoobi A, Al Sheriyani A, and EM Leffler. Adaptive admixture at ACKR1, the Duffy blood group locus, may have shaped Plasmodium vivax prevalence in Oman. American Journal of Human Genetics, 2026; 113, 767-781.
Karageorgiou C, Leffler EM, Dennis MY and O Gokcumen. Structural variation in context: mechanisms, functions and selection regimes across the tree of life. Heredity, 2026; 135, 121-125.
Haffener PE, Al-Riyami AZ, Al-Zadjali S, Al-Rawahi M, Al Hosni S, Al Marhoobi A, Al Sheriyani A, and EM Leffler. Characterization of blood group variants in an Omani population by comparison of whole genome sequencing and serology. Transfusion 2025.
Haffener PE, Hopson HD, Herbert-Mainero A, Ramirez A and EM Leffler. Phylogenetics and genomic variation of Hepatocystis isolated from shotgun sequencing of wild primate hosts. PLoS Pathogens 2025 Jun 18;21(6):e1013240.
Band G and EM Leffler. Malaria endemicity linked to shorter telomeres in leukocytes. Trends in Parasitology. 2024 Aug;40(8):660-661.
Leffler EM, Band G, Jeffreys AE, Rowlands K, Hubbart C, Bojang KA, Conway DJ, Jallow M, Sisay-Joof F, D’Alessandro U, Ndila CM, Macharia AW, Marsh K, Williams TN, Kachala D, Molyneux M, Nyirongo V, Taylor TE, Rockett KA, and DP Kwiatkowski. Large-scale genotyping and meta-analysis of PIEZO1 short tandem repeat alleles suggest a modest association with malaria susceptibility. bioRxiv 2024.
Hilbert ZA, Haffener PE, Young HJ, Schwiesow MJW, Leffler EM, and NC Elde. Rapid evolution of glycan recognition receptors reveals an axis of host-microbe arms races beyond canonical protein-protein interfaces. Genome Biol Evol. 2023 Jul 3;15(7):evad119.
Band G, Leffler EM, Jallow M, Sisay-Joof F, Ndila CM, Macharia AW, Hubbart C, Jeffreys AE, Rowlands K, Nguyen T, Goncalves SM, Ariani CV, Stalker J, Pearson RD, Amato R, Drury E, Sirugo G, D’Alessandro U, Bojang KA, Marsh K, Peshu N, Saelens JW, Diakite M, Taylor SM, Conway DJ, Williams TN, Rockett KA, and DP Kwiatkowski. Malaria protection due to sickle haemoglobin depends on parasite genotype. Nature 3 February 2022 602:106-111 [Nature] [bioRxiv]
Band G, Le QC, Clarke GM, Kivinen K, Hubbart C, Jeffreys AE, Rowlands K, Leffler EM, Jallow M, Conway DJ, Sisay-Joof F, d’Alessandro U, Toure OB, Thera MA, Konate S, Sissoko S, Mangano VD, Bougouma ED, Sirima SB, Amenga-Etego LN, Ghansah AK, Hodgson AVO, Wilson MD, Enimil A, Ansong D, Evans J, Ademola SA, Apinjoh TO, Ndila CM, Manjurano A, Drakeley C, Reyburn H, Nguyen HP, Nguyen TNQ, Thai CQ, Hien TT, Teo YY, Manning L, Laman M, Michon P, Karunajeewa H, Siba P, Allen S, Allen, A, Bahlo M, Davis TME, Cornelius V, Shelton J, Spencer CCA, Busby GBJ, Kerasidou A, Drury E, Stalker J, Dilthey A, Mentzer AJ, McVean G, Bojang KA, Doumbo O, Modiano D, Koram KA, Agbenyega T, Amodu OK, Achidi E, Williams TN, Marsh K, Riley EM, Molyneux M, Taylor T, Dunstan SJ, Farrar J, Mueller I, Rockett KA, and DP Kwiatkowski. Insights into malaria susceptibility using genome-wide data on 17,000 individuals from Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Nature Communications 16 December 2019 10, 5732 [Nature Communications] [bioRxiv]
Busby GBJ, Christ R, Band G, Leffler EM, Le QS, MalariaGEN, Rockett KA, Kwiatkowski DP and CCA Spencer. Inferring adaptive gene flow in recent African history. biorXiv 2017 [bioRxiv]
Leffler EM. Evolutionary insights from wild vervet genomes. Nature Genetics 29 November 2017 49, 1671–1672. [Nature Genetics] [PMC]
Leffler EM, Band G, Busby GBJ, Kivinen K, Le QS, Clarke GM, Bojang KA, Conway DJ, Jallow M, Sisay-Joof F, Bougouma EC, Mangano VD, Modiano D, Sirima SB, Achidi E, Apinjoh TO, Marsh K, Ndila CM, Peshu N, Williams TN, Drakeley C, Manjurano A, Reyburn H, Riley E, Kachala D, Molyneux M, Nyirongo V, Taylor T, Thornton N, Tilley L, Grimsley S, Drury E, Stalker J, Cornelius V, Hubbart C, Jeffreys AE, Rowlands K, Rockett KA, Spencer CCA, Kwiatkowski DP and Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network. Resistance to malaria through structural variation of red blood cell invasion receptors. Science 16 June 2017 356(6343): eaam6393. [Science] [PMC] [bioRxiv]
Leffler EM, Bullaughey K*, Matute DR*, Meyer WK*, Segurel L*, Venkat A*, Andolfatto P, and M Przeworski. Revisiting an Old Riddle: What Determines Genetic Diversity Levels within Species? PLoS Biology Sept 2012 10(9):e1001388 [PLoS Biology]
Auton A*, Fledel-Alon A*, Pfeifer S*, Venn O*, Ségurel L, Street T, Leffler EM, Bowden R, Ineas I, Broxholme J, Humburg J, Iqbal Z, Lunter G, Maller J, Hernandez RD, Melton SC, Venkat A, Nobrega M, Bontrop R, Donnelly P+, Przeworski M+, and G McVean+. A fine-scale chimpanzee genetic map from population resequencing data. Science 13 April 2012 336:193-198 [Science] [PMC]
Segurel L, Leffler EM, and M Przeworski. The case of the fickle fingers: How PRDM9 specifies meiotic recombination hotspots in humans. PLoS Biology Dec 2011 9(12):e1001211 [PLoS Biology]
Fledel-Alon A*, Leffler EM*, Guan Y, Stephens M, Coop G+ and M Przeworski+, 2011 Variation in human recombination rates and its genetic determinants. PLoS One June 2011 6(6):e20321 [PLoS One]