International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research

The past two decades have witnessed an extraordinary commitment to malaria control and elimination, which has been accompanied by a considerable reduction in global malaria morbidity and mortality. Although malaria research efforts have dramatically increased over this period,1 most clinical research projects still tend to be narrowly focused in scientific scope, and are conducted in a limited catchment area with a relatively homogeneous “at risk” population. In 2010, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases established 10 International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) to support multidisciplinary research in diverse epidemiologic settings which span representative malaria-endemic regions around the world. Table 1 describes the locations of field sites and research focuses of each ICEMR. Research projects were designed to capture and track changes in the complex interactions between the human host, malaria parasite, and mosquito vector in different eco-epidemiologic settings. Unlike typical monitoring and evaluation programs, the ICEMRs are mandated both to adopt an integrated approach to malaria research, and to apply molecular epidemiology and genomics to study transmission and disease in the context of dynamically changing in disease prevalence and incidence (Table 1).