How do you plan on finding out how a malaria parasite recognises a human red blood cell?

Question: How do you plan on finding out how a malaria parasite recognises a human red blood cell?
- Keywords:
  cell,
  human,
  malaria,
  parasite,
  recognises,
  red,
  red blood cell
Asked by noble to Julian on 15 Mar 2011.
- Julian Rayner answered on 15 Mar 2011:
  
  Hi noble.
  
  We use lots of different tools – analysing cells using microscopy and another technique called flow cytometry (labeling individual cells and counting them one by one), sequencing genes, and genetically manipulating the parasites so that we knock out one specific gene and see whether the parasite can still recognise and invade a human red cell. By putting all these bits of data together, we hope to work out which bits of the process are essential, and so which bits we should be trying to target.

Question: How do you plan on finding out how a malaria parasite recognises a human red blood cell?