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U.S. Army medical researchers take part in World Malaria Day 2010, Kisumu, Kenya April 25, 2010. Photo credit: U.S. Army Africa, Flickr 2010, CC-BY2.0

U.S. Army medical researchers take part in World Malaria Day 2010, Kisumu, Kenya April 25, 2010. Photo credit: U.S. Army Africa, Flickr 2010, CC-BY2.0

Human

We're studying the human genome to better understand the genetic factors that help people to resist severe malaria – information that could provide vital clues about the molecular mechanisms of immunity and accelerate the development of an effective vaccine.

Our human projects aim to identify and better understand the changes in a person's DNA that could help protect them from developing severe malaria.

When we first started studying the human genome, we knew that a person’s risk of developing severe malaria is influenced by many different genetic and environmental factors, but we knew relatively little about their precise nature and how they interact. Scientific studies at the time were small and isolated.

What we've done

Established an international data-sharing network with capacity building in data analysis for researchers in malaria-endemic countries
Built the largest clinical dataset for genetic studies of resistance to severe malaria (11,890 cases of severe malaria and 17,441 healthy controls)
Led an innovated programme of ethics research
Published the first genome-wide association (GWAS) of an African population, as well as the largest-ever study of genetic variants associated with cases of severe malaria
Discovered genes that help to protect African children from developing severe malaria

I've always believed that MalariaGEN is a model project. As far as science, the project is successful in terms of publications and those things that everyone can see but there are other aspects that are now showing – given the size of the data, the importance of the disease, and the capacity that has been built.

Muntaser Ibrahim

University of Khartoum, Sudan