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    Senegal

    Site Institution 1: Cheikh Anta Diop University

    Site Institution: Cheikh Anta Diop University/ Centre International de recherche, de formation en Génomique Appliquée et de Surveillance Sanitaire (CIGASS)
    Research Areas: Malaria, Genetic Diversity, Immunity, Host-Pathogen Dynamics

    Site Description:
    UCAD/CIGASS has significant experience in designing and testing malaria diagnostics and conducting drug resistance studies. The laboratory is located at CIGASS in Dakar, Senegal and the Genomics Unit of the Laboratory of Parasitology-Mycology. The laboratory serves as a Reference Laboratory on Parasite Disease Diagnostics for malaria in Senegal, as part of a collaboration between USAID/CDC PMI and the Ministry of Health. Additionally, the lab is a Regional Training Center for the International Center for Excellence in Malaria Research – West Africa (ICEMR-WAF), where scientists from Senegal, Mali, and The Gambia frequently train. Training is cornerstone of the team and multiple training initiatives have been funded through Fogarty, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the African Center of Excellence for Genomics on Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) in collaboration with Harvard, the CDC and the Broad Institute.

    The research conducted at UCAD/CIGASS advances the local public health needs in trying to ensure that all have access to effective malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The collaborative research of the team fills a critical need by communicating research findings to the Ministry of Health to enhance the impact of basic research on malaria policy. Potential areas for mentored research include malaria diagnostics, longitudinal studies of immunity, genetic diversity, virulence gene expression and ex vivo phenotypic assays for virulence, drug resistance, and immune neutralization.

    Other features of this site include:
    • Experienced team carrying out antimalarial drug resistance projects such as drug treatment efficacy studies, ex vivo assay development and validation, and design of new research techniques to characterize genetic diversity of parasites and both known and novel drug resistance markers. The group has contributed to designing new tools to enhance molecular malaria research in the field.
    • Coordinated field work at the Section de Lutte AntiParasitaire (SLAP) clinic in Thiès (70km from Dakar) where samples are collected then transported to CIGASS for the execution of ex vivo assays. The SLAP-Thies Clinic is a Ministry of Health clinic, created in 1953, that is a sentinel site for malaria research where studies on anti-malarial drug resistance, in vivo and ex vivo parasite drug responses, epidemiology and entomology studies are ongoing. The SLAP-Thies clinic has a computer with internet connection, two microscopes for diagnosis of malaria, clinical centrifuge, two hematocrit machines, and two refrigerators. The samples are transported daily to the CIGASS laboratory.
    • Infrastructure and technical experience at CIGASS in molecular diagnostic, genetic, genomic, and immunological techniques. As the National Reference Center for Genomics in Infectious Diseases, the lab helps to implement genomic research and surveillance systems for viruses, parasites, and other emerging pathogens. These programs are currently implemented in collaboration with the Senegal Ministry of Health (nationwide surveillance efforts focused on malaria), ACEGID , H3 Africa, USAID/PREDICT, and the CDC Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). The team leader is the General Secretary of the African Center of Excellence for the Health of Women and Child, based at UCAD, and has a long history of training Masters, Pharmacy, and PhD students in Africa.

    Current research projects include:
    • Malaria parasite Rifin virulence protein expression spanning declining transmission in Senegal
    • Optimization and Implementation of a pooled deep sequencing approach for P. falciparum drug resistance molecular surveillance: integrating genomic data with policy in Senegal

    Mentors

    Site Institution 2: Institut Pasteur de Dakar

    Site Institution: Institut Pasteur de Dakar
    Research Areas: Malaria, Genetic Diversity, Immunity, Host-Pathogen Dynamics

    Site Description:
    The Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) is a non-profit Senegalese foundation and is authorized to contribute to public health, particularly in Africa and Senegal, by carrying out activities of research, teaching, training, medical, epidemiological and biological expertise in addition to production of the yellow fever vaccine, under the conditions laid down in the statutes signed between the Government of the Republic of Senegal and the Institut Pasteur de Paris. The Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) is Biomedical Research Center whose excellence in research and training contribute to the advancement of public health.

    The research conducted at Institut Pasteur de Dakar advances the local public health needs in trying to ensure that all have access to effective malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The collaborative research of the team fills a critical need communicating research findings to the Ministry of Health to enhance the impact of basic research on public health policy. Institut Pasteur de Dakar has always strived to empower young African talents, especially in African leadership in vaccinology. We will welcome GHES fellows interested in pursuing projects focused on vaccinology.

    Other features of this site include:
    • Institut Pasteur de Dakar is a leading institution in research, public health and training in West Africa in the field of infectious diseases namely malaria, arboviruses and viral hemorrhagic fever (AVHF), influenza, diarrheal diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
    • The AVHF unit (AVHFU) of IPD is a WHO Collaborating Center for arbovirus and viral hemorrhagic fever since 1963 and has such has been involved in all major outbreaks of yellow fever, dengue, Rift valley fever, CCHF, Marburg, Ebola throughout the different regions of Africa.
    • IPD is involved as laboratory platform funded by Wellcome Trust for Clinical trials on Ebola experimental therapies and vaccines. AVHFU is performing research on diagnostics, virus vector interactions, virus molecular evolution, risk assessment and modeling of arboviruses and viral hemorrhagic fever. IPD hosts National reference Centers and WHOCC including Respiratory Infectious diseases, Influenza. IPD hosts a collection of more than 7,000 isolates from 200 species of arboviruses and Viral haemorrhagic fevers.
    • IPD has a long-standing interest in malaria research, including the initiation and maintenance of the Dielmo-Ndiop Longitudinal cohort, which is the longest ongoing longitudinal study in the malaria field. Further, current infrastructure through the 4S network (Système d'information pour la surveillance et l'alerte épidémiologiques) allows for powerful surveillance of both malaria parasites, hosts, and mosquito vectors.
    • Investment in a vaccine production center –the MADIBA project— to enhance the independence and excellence of Africans in vaccine research, trials, production, and evaluation.

    Current research projects include:
    • Development and deployment of mRNA technology applied to viral and parasitic diseases of public health importance
    • Vaccine candidate discovery and validation for emerging and re-emerging diseases
    • Investigating the functional impact of genetic diversity in malaria vaccine candidate antigens
    • Exploring vector symbionts to hamper pathogen development and transmission
    • Host genetic determinants of susceptibility and resistance to infectious diseases
    • Systems immunology of acquired immunity to infectious diseases
    • Applying bioinformatic tools and mathematical modeling to predict the evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

    Mentors

    GHES Alumni

    • Awa Deme
      Fellowship Site: University Of Cheikh Anta Diop, SenegalUS Institution: Yale UniversityThe ultimate goal of this proposal is to conduct an in-depth study of the virulent rifin gene expression on erythrocyte remodeling and rosetting, and assess the role of genetic diversity of the rifin genes in this process. The first hypothesis to be tested is whether rosette formation correlates with a specific rifin gene expression profile. Ex vivo RNA and short-term parasite cultures will be initiated and RNA will be harvested in the first generation at the late trophozoite to mid-schizont stage. The rosetting assay will be performed, and assessed by fluorescent microscopy. cDNA will be synthesized from extracted RNA, and rifin expression measured using a set of 15 primers previously described. The study will be conducted in Senegal, during the transmission season in Thies region, and comparisons will be made during the dry season as well. The results will have implications on our understanding of immunity and vaccines development strategies in malaria elimination strategies.
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    • Mouhamad Sy
      Dr. Mouhamad spent his fellowship year at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop/Hospital Aristide Le Dantec in Dakar under the mentorship of Amy Bei, PhD and Daouda Ndiaye, PhD, MSc. His research focused on implementing pooling targeted deep amplicon sequencing for malaria drug resistance surveillance in Senegal. Dr. Mouhamad is a Post Doc fellow at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal in the International Research & Training Center in Applied Genomics and Health Surveillance (CTGASS) and Yale School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. He would like to apply for a K43 from the Fogarty International Center, a NTH grant, or an early career fellowship from the African Academy of Sciences. His future career goals are to be an independent researcher and to continue research in Senegal incorporating genomic surveillance approaches for malaria, but also applying these methods to enhance regional and global surveillance of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. In partnership with strong collaborating partners and institutions, such as Yale University in the USA, University Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal, he intends to lead his own research group using multidisciplinary research approaches within a One Health framework.
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