Of the four species causing human malaria, Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax are responsible for more than 90% of the cases. Although much less prevalent than earlier times, vivax malaria is estimated to affect 70-80 million people each year, mainly in Asia, the Americas, and the Western Pacific region, thus making it the most widespread Plasmodium species. Investigations on P. vivax have lagged significantly because of the unavailability of facile tools for studying this parasite. The genome sequence of P. vivax is about to be completed at 10x coverage. However, tools to take advantage of the genomic sequence for molecular genetic studies are not available at present. To initiate such studies, this project will develop DNA microarray technology based on printed long oligonucleotide platform. Methods for optimal use of these microarrays will be developed and disseminated. These tools will be highly valuable in vivax malaria research as the field enters post-genomic era. Public Health Relevance: Malaria due to Plasmodium vivax is a major public health problem. Genomic sequencing of this parasite is now nearing completion, but tools to use this information to devise improved means to control vivax malaria are not available at present. This project aims to create such tools which will be made widely available to the research community. ? ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
5R21AI068049-02
Application #
7232437
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IDM-M (02))
Program Officer
Joy, Deirdre A
Project Start
2006-06-01
Project End
2009-05-31
Budget Start
2007-06-01
Budget End
2009-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$145,650
Indirect Cost
Name
Drexel University
Department
Microbiology/Immun/Virology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
002604817
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104
Rajgor, D D; Gogtay, N J; Kadam, V S et al. (2014) Antirelapse Efficacy of Various Primaquine Regimens for Plasmodium vivax. Malar Res Treat 2014:347018
Cernetich-Ott, Amy; Daly, Thomas M; Vaidya, Akhil B et al. (2012) Remarkable stability in patterns of blood-stage gene expression during episodes of non-lethal Plasmodium yoelii malaria. Malar J 11:265