Genetic reconnaissance to support malaria elimination in the GMS (GenRe-Mekong)

In the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS, comprising Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and parts of China), National Malaria Control Programs (NMCPs) are called upon to take difficult policy decisions in the face of a rapidly changing epidemiological landscape. These decisions include: assessing treatment efficacy, reviewing frontline drug policies, assessing the effectiveness of targeted interventions, identifying transmission hubs to target, and monitoring imported cases. To support their decision-making, NMCPs make use of clinical and epidemiological data, as well as results of therapeutic efficacy studies. GenRe-Mekong adds to this evidence base by providing comprehensive genetic information about the parasite populations.

GenRe-Mekong analyzes small dried blood spots samples, collected using a simple standardised operating procedure that is easy to implement at public health sites, even in resource-constrained endemic regions. Samples are processed by the SpotMalaria genotyping platform, which leverages on leading-edge high-throughput technologies to extract large amounts of parasite genetic information from each sample. The results are captured in Genetic Report Cards (GRCs), datasets regularly delivered to NMCPs to keep them abreast of rapid epidemiological changes. The underlying technological platform is designed to keep sample processing costs low, enabling large-scale genetic epidemiology survey with dense geographical coverage and large sample sizes.

Project websiteProject details

Capacity Building
Drug Resistance
Genetics and Genomics

Oct 2014 — Feb 2021

Bangladesh
Cambodia
India
Lao PDR
Myanmar
Thailand
Vietnam

Genetic Epidemiology
Malaria Molecular Surveillance (MMS)