Partner study description

Colombia is among the countries with the highest malaria burden outside of Africa, and one of the least successful in reducing case numbers, with approximately 100,000 cases per year. The emergence and evolution of antimalarial resistance started approximately 50 years ago, however this problem is poorly understood and no whole genome sequences are yet available for Colombian Plasmodium falciparum parasites. This project aims to use sequence data from P. falciparum parasites from the Colombian Pacific region, the predominant area for falciparum malaria in the country, to identify genomic regions with strong evidence for recent selection with a particular focus on variation in permeome drug transporters, potential candidates in the mechanism of action of multidrug resistance.