Promotion of Plasmodium Research and Training in India

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this project is to provide research training regarding several species of malaria parasite of the genus Plasmodium, in order to build sustainable research capacity at a laboratory within the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) in Delhi, India. Two species of malaria parasite in particular, P. falciparum and P. vivax, cause significant morbidity and some mortality in the Indian sub-continent. Thus Plasmodium biology provides an ideal focus for research that will both enhance prevention, treatment and control of this infectious disease, as well as providing a focal point for building sustainable infectious disease research capacity at an institution within a developing country. Members of the U.S. institution, the Department of Medical Parasitology at New York University School of Medicine, have a long history of research collaboration with the NIMR in Delhi, and can provide the complementary skills and expertise necessary for a collaborative research training program. At the core of this proposal is the education and instruction of five trainees (three pre-doctoral students, one post-doctoral fellow and one non-degree attaining trainee) at NIMR by a group of U.S and Indian mentors and faculty with expertise in various areas of Plasmodium biology. The topics of training will include: population diversity and genetics, molecular evolution, genetic association studies, in vitro culture, bioinformatics, genomics, mosquito transmission studies, and adjunct skills such as scientific presentation, grant writing, use of the scientific literature, and training in the responsible conduct of research. This research project will promote research into a major public health problem in India, the malaria parasite Plasmodium. By encouraging research in the prevention, treatment and control of this vector-borne pathogen, we hope to generate a focal point for building sustainable infectious disease capacity at an institution in a developing country.