Current grad student here working on my thesis. Came here to get some feedback on my current project. Would appreciate tips and pointers. I have access to good lab equipment as well as decent funding through my school so that wont be an issue.

Here is a rough overview of my project:

I'm going to perform a gene knockout/knockdown of a surface protein in the merozoite stage of the protozoan parasite Plasmodium (the one that causes malaria). I'm going to do this to provide definitive evidence that this surface protein allows Plasmodium to invade erythrocytes.
Id like to also include a gene recovery mechanism to prove that the protein does its job when it is there.

I have a couple questions:
1. Should I do a gene knock out or knock down?
2. Which method would work best? (cre/loxp, crispr/cas9, RNAi, some other one)
3. How do I best get the transgene into the protozoan cell without harming it.
4. Is there anything about protozoan biology that might inhibit a certain mechanism for inserting a transgene? or is there something that may make it easier for me?

thanks my boys. critique is definitely welcome.