Progress Toward Goal of Ending Malaria

Highlighting recent advances in malaria research, Johns Hopkins University's Malaria Research Institute presented Advances in Malaria Research: In the Lab and the Field. Featuring presentations from several fields of inquiry and practice, the webcast seminar highlights gains recently made in addressing the disease and in laying the groundwork for meeting the goal of eradicating the threat.

Malaria is caused by a single-cell parasite that features characteristics of both plant and animal life and shares commonalities with algae. The disease arises out of serial transmission between mosquitoes and people (and animals) on whose blood mosquitoes feed to survive.

Malaria continues to claim anywhere from 1.5 to 3 million mostly young lives annually. Half a billion people contract the disease annually. The Johns Hopkins research pursues several parallel pathways to halt the transmission at multiple stages in the mosquito-human disease cycle.

Highlighted in the online seminar were core areas of inquiry and implementation.

George Dimopoulos and Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, professors of molecular microbiology and immunology, presented genetic research underway in the mosquitoes themselves. Dimopoulos and Jacobs-Lorena highlighted progress made in genetically reprogramming the mosquito to develop altered immune responses and digestive bacteriological conditions that will halt the malaria cycle from developing at that point in the disease's progression.

Sungano Mharakurwa, scientific director of the Malaria Institute at Macha (MIAM) in Zambia, described diagnostic tools to look for the disease that are less invasive, cheaper and more likely to be embraced by local populations. Current diagnosis typically requires a blood sample. Safe handling of needles and sharps to address the bio-hazard involved in preventing transmission of malaria and the co-incident AIDS virus is exceedingly difficult and expensive in rural settings. Further, a blood taboo exists in the local culture, and people are reluctant to participate. Mharakurwa detailed progress being made on a much easier, safer, cheaper and more culturally acceptable test that can detect the presence of malaria in saliva.

Gregory Glass, professor of molecular microbiology and immunology, offered a presentation on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to incorporate a variety of data gathered on the ground and from satellites to model the extent of the disease and target at-risk populations. Satellite data used in the modelling and mapping include topography, watershed area, soil moisture and standing water. These are combined with population density and settlement information to provide mapping tools for identification of regions of greatest risk.

Much has been accomplished. Achievements detailed by the seminar are promising indeed. More remains done to meet the stated goal of stopping the disease, but Dr. Mharakurwa, in a statement given in a press release, is hopeful and energized:

“The take-home message to students and young scientists is that there’s new hope to eliminate malaria. The tools are there and if we use well-investigated approaches, it’s possible that in their lifetimes they’ll see the end of malaria, at least in certain regions of the world.”

Photo courtesy of Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, used with permission