Advances in Basic and Translational Research as Part of the Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India (CSCMi) is one of 10 International Centers of Excellence in Malaria Research funded by the National Institutes of Health since 2010. The Center combines innovative research with capacity building and technology transfer to undertake studies with clinical and translational impact that will move malaria control in India toward the ultimate goal of malaria elimination/eradication. A key element of each research site in the four states of India (Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Odisha, and Meghalaya) has been undertaking community- and clinic-based epidemiology projects to characterize the burden of malaria in the region. Demographic and clinical data and samples collected during these studies have been used in downstream projects on, for example, the widespread use of mosquito repellants, the population genomics of Plasmodium vivax, and the serological responses to P. vivax and Plasmodium falciparum antigens that reflect past or present exposure. A focus has been studying the pathogenesis of severe malaria caused by P. falciparum through magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral malaria patients. Here we provide a snapshot of some of the basic and applied research the CSCMi has undertaken over the past 12 years and indicate the further research and/or clinical and translational impact these studies have had.

The Impact, Emerging Needs, and New Research Questions Arising from 12 Years of the Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India

“…Given the impact of the India ICEMR on malaria policy and public health described previously, and the research results described in the accompanying manuscript, 2 what are the emerging needs and new research questions that have been identified as CSCMi activities have progressed?…”

“…The Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India (CSCMi), one of the 10 National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded International Centers of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR) located in malaria-endemic regions worldwide, was launched in 2010 with the overall goal of addressing major gaps in our understanding of “complex malaria” in India through research on the epidemiology, transmission, and pathogenesis of the disease. 1 A summary of the Center’s work undertaken in six different regions (National Capital Territory of Delhi and five states: Odisha, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Meghalaya) is provided in the accompanying manuscript 2 (see also http://malariacenterindia.org ). Although many of the projects involved basic science methods, the Center was mandated to adopt an integrated approach to malaria research, 3 including building capacity, developing infrastructure, and nurturing future malaria leaders, as well as undertaking relevant and impactful research that would assist as India moves from control to elimination.…”

Antimalarial drug resistance profiling of Plasmodium falciparum infections in India using Ion Torrent deep sequencing

“…In the study presented here, we used our deep sequencing protocol to elucidate the landscape of drug resistance at three different field study sites in India, representing varying transmission ecologies, as part of ongoing epidemiology studies at the Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India (Carlton et al, 2022a;Carlton et al, 2022b). We identified a high proportion of parasites from the P. falciparum-dominant site Rourkela carrying wild-type Pfcrt and Pfdhfr haplotypes, while mutant Pfcrt and Pfdhfr haplotypes were fixed at the P. vivax-dominant sites Chennai and Nadiad; the wild-type Pfdhps haplotype was predominant across all study sites.…”