The Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute Laboratory was established to facilitate and enhance research collaborations between QIMR Berghofer and the Army Defence Force Malaria Infectious Disease Institute (ADFMIDI). Our research focuses on investigating the biological and molecular changes in malaria parasites that makes them difficult to detect and/or resistant to anti-malarial drugs, and the epidemiological surveillance of these parasites. Our findings inform malaria diagnosis and treatment policies for improving public health and defence force health protection.
CURRENT RESEARCH
- investigating the emergence, evolution and epidemiology of mutant malaria parasites causing malaria rapid diagnostic test failures to inform diagnosis and case management policies
- investigating artemisinin-induced dormant parasites in vitro and in humans and how they cause treatment failures in order to optimize malaria treatment regimen and efficacy
- investigating molecular epidemiology of malaria and malaria drug resistance to inform prevention and treatment policies
Staff & Collaborators
- Karen Anderson – Research Assistant (part time)
- Cielo Pasay – Postdoctoral Fellow (part time)
- David Smith – Scientific Technical Officer (part time)
- Christopher Peatey – Affiliated Scientist
National Collaborators
- Michelle Gatton – Queensland University of Technology
- James McCarthy and Bridget Barber – QIMR Berghofer
- Ric Price, Nick Anstey, Sarah Auburn and Jutta Marfurt – Menzies School of Health Research
- Rogan Lee – Westmead Hospital
- Mike Edstein, Brady McPherson, Fiona McCallum, Marina Chavchich – ADFMIDI
International Collaborators
- Jane Cunningham – Global Malaria Program, WHO, Geneva
- Norm Waters and Jennifer Kooken – Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), USA and Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), Thailand
- Araia Berhane and Selam Mihreteab, Ministry of Health, Eritrea.
- Eric Rogier and Venkatachalam Udhayakumar, CDC
- Bosco Agaba, Ministry of Health, Uganda
- Manel Yapabandara and Maria Mota, WHO and MOH Timor Leste
- Dennis Kyle – University of Georgia
- John Adams – University of South Florida
- Juan Sanchez and Hugo Valdivia, US Naval Medical Research Unit-6 (NAMRU-6), Peru
- 2019-2020 The US Public Health Division, Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch (AFHSB), Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) Section