Host polymorphisms and primaquine safety in Plasmodium vivax malaria

• Honours

Students will investigate glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) genetic variation and its correlation with primaquine safety in Plasmodium vivax malaria treatment.

Working within the Asia-Pacific International Center of Excellence in Malaria Research, students will validate and deploy Nanopore sequencing protocols to analyse 380 clinical samples from the Solomon Islands and control samples. They will develop G6PD sequencing assays and conduct laboratory work collaborating with Institut Pasteur du Cambodge and the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research.

Through this project, students will acquire expertise in molecular sequencing technologies, genetic analysis, and malaria epidemiology whilst contributing to malaria elimination efforts across endemic regions. This research integrates genetic, epidemiological, and clinical approaches to optimise antimalarial treatment strategies.

The Mueller Laboratory’s research interest is the interaction between infectious diseases and the human host. The lab has primarily focused on the malaria parasite Plasmodium with the addition of research on COVID-19 and the development of rapid diagnostic tests in recent years.

Within the malaria program of work the lab’s vision is to develop novel tools and interventions to aid malaria elimination. A key focus of our research is on Plasmodium vivax, the parasite responsible for most malaria cases in Australia’s neighbours in the Asia-Pacific.