Malaria Genomics in the Era of Eradication
- 1Genome Sequencing and Analysis Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
- 2Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- 3Infectious Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge Massachusetts 02142
- 4School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Simmons College, Boston, MA 02115
- Correspondence: neafsey{at}broadinstitute.org; svolkman{at}hsph.harvard.edu
Abstract
The first reference genome assembly for the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite was completed over a decade ago, and the impact of this and other genomic resources on malaria research has been significant. Genomic resources for other malaria parasites are being established, even as P. falciparum continues to be the focus of development of new genomic methods and applications. Here we review the impact and applications of genomic data on malaria research, and discuss future needs and directions as genomic data generation becomes less expensive and more decentralized. Specifically, we focus on how population genomic strategies can be utilized to advance the malaria eradication agenda.
