Genomic Epidemiology of Malaria (Virtual Conference)

Due to the evolving situation with Covid-19, this conference was postponed from June 2020, and will now be held virtually.

We are pleased to announce the 8th Genomic Epidemiology of Malaria conference. This multidisciplinary meeting provides a forum for malaria scientists and clinicians focused on understanding the clinical and biological consequences of genome variation in malaria-exposed populations. The conference will bring researchers from across the globe working on various aspects of human, parasite and mosquito genetics together to focus on how new biological insights can be used to control malaria.

The elimination of malaria is one of the greatest challenges facing modern medical science, and is hindered by growing levels of drug and insecticide resistance and the lack of an effective vaccine. Knowledge of genome variation in the host, parasite and vector populations is important to overcome these and other obstacles to malaria elimination.

This year’s conference will focus on our current understanding of transmission models and migration patterns, genomic surveillance and the implications for policies to eradicate malaria. We will also explore resistance to malaria drugs and insecticides, and provide a forum to discuss biological insights from recent advances in malaria genetics.

The conference will start at approximately 13.00 on Monday 7 June and close at approximately 17.00 on Wednesday 9 June 2021. All times are given in British Summer Time (BST). See the time where you are here.

Topics will include:

• Spatial epidemiology
• Drug resistance
• Insecticide resistance
• Transmission
• Bioinformatics tools for 21st century
• Biological insights from genomes
• Genomic surveillance for elimination
• Barriers to translation

Scientific programme committee

Caroline Buckee
Harvard University, USA

Deus Ishengoma
National Institute for Medical Research, Tanzania

Mara Lawniczak
Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK

Dan Neafsey
Broad Institute, USA

Confirmed speakers

Diabate Abdoulaye – Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Amy Bei – Yale School of Medicine, USA
Jennifer Gardy – Gates Foundation, USA
Jerome Kelleher – University of Oxford, UK
Dominic Kwiatkowski – Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK
Xue Li – Texas Biomedical Research Institute, USA
Damaris Matoke-Muhia– Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kenya
Wendy O’Meara – Duke Global Health Institute, USA
Sofonias Tessema – University of California, San Francisco, USA
Nguyen Thanh Thuy Nhien – OUCRU, Vietnam
Robert Verity – Imperial College, UK
Charles Wondji – Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK

Conference Organisers

Laura Wyatt – Conference & Events Organiser
Treasa Creavin – Scientific Programme Manager

Virtual registration includes: Access to all live-streamed sessions (including poster sessions and online networking channels), as well as access to all sessions ‘on-demand’ for four weeks after the event.

Thanks to the generous support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Burroughs Wellcome Fund we have been able to offer free registration at this conference.

To aid with networking at this conference, all registrants are requested to submit a short summary describing their interest in malaria research.

Registration deadline: 13:00 (British Summer Time) 27 May 2021

We welcome abstracts from all areas relevant to the main themes of the meeting for oral presentations and short lighting talks. Several oral presentations will be chosen from the abstracts submitted. We will arrange networking sessions rather than a poster session at this year’s conference.

Abstracts will only be considered from registered delegates. Please use our online abstract submission system and follow the instructions given to ensure your abstract is submitted correctly. All abstracts must be submitted by the deadline. If you are intending to submit more than one abstract, please contact the conference organiser prior to registration.

The scientific programme committee will assess your abstract after the deadline has passed and you will be notified whether you have been selected for an oral presentation or a lightening talk.

Abstract deadline: 12 April 2021