In India, the world's largest democracy and second most populous country, malaria remains an enormous public health problem. Malaria in India is 'complex'; two predominant species of parasite may be present serially or concurrently in one person. Each species also has multiple strains (genotypes) that can serially or concurrently infect. Indian malaria complexity, its variation by location, and its consequences for malaria immunity and severity, are the research focus of the CSCMi.
The aims of the Center are to develop the knowledge, tools, and evidence-based strategies needed to support Indian intervention and control programs, and to build research capacity in India. CSCMi research comprises three projects: Project 1: Epidemiology of malaria and infection dynamics, Project 2: P. vivax diagnosis, genomics and biology, and Project 3: Pathogenesis of cerebral malaria. Project 1 will undertake census, cross-sectional surveys, survey-cohorts, and clinic-based cohort studies for malaria baseline epidemiology and identification of asymptomatic n=and relapse individuals at our three ecologically and epidemiologically diverse field sites in Sundergarh District, Odisha, West Garo Hills in Meghalaya, and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya. It will use biological samples collected during these studies to assess how infection complexity impacts seroepidemiology and CD4+ immune signatures in asymptomatic versus clinical malaria. Project 2 will investigate biomarkers of P. vivax hypnozoite infection, and deploy real-time genomics methods of diagnosis and for population genomics. Project 3 will use magnetic resonance imaging techniques to study cerebral malaria pathogenesis in an unprecedented and comprehensive comparative analysis between patients in India and Malawi, and investigate molecular pathogenetic mechanisms of disease. The CSCMi projects will be supported by an Administrative Core and Data Management and Biostatistics Core, and advised by a team of consultants and a Scientific Advisory Group.
Malaria is a major public health problem in India, the world's second most populous country, causing significant morbidity and mortality. The Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India is a collaborative scientific research institute comprising US, UK, Malawi and Indian malaria experts and dedicated staff at four field sites, all working towards the goal of enhancing malaria intervention and control programs in India.
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