ICAM1 and malaria: In addition, dynamic transcription analysis by qRT-PCR at different developmental stages in individual cycles revealed a link between the ICAM-1 binding phenotype and transcription of upsA vars, which supports the previously observed association between upsA-subtype vars and severe malaria since ICAM-1-mediated cytoadhesion has been implicated in pathogenesis of severe malaria [49], [50], [51].