Geo-linked system to find and respond to antimalarial drug resistance in Ghana
Official title: Geo-enabled detect and respond system for antimalarial resistance in Ghana: GDRS - Ghana
Funded at Institute of Human Virology · NIH-11416246 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will use small community blood samples and GPS-linked data in Ghana to spot early signs of malaria parasites becoming resistant to antimalarial drugs so treatments keep working.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Institute of Human Virology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Abuja, Nigeria) |
| Project start | February 23, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $104,111 |
| NIH project number | 3U01TW012531-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11416246 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are community members in the Ghanaian areas covered by the project who can provide a small dried blood spot and basic location/contact information, including people with recent malaria or for routine community surveillance.
✕Less likely to help
People living outside the surveillance regions or those not infected with malaria are unlikely to receive direct benefits from this surveillance project.
What this research studies
You may be asked to give a small finger-prick dried blood spot and basic location or community information for surveillance. Teams will link each sample to GPS-based location data and send samples to regional genomic labs in a hub-and-spoke network for molecular testing of malaria parasites. The project combines those genomic results with local health and survey data to map where drug-resistant parasites are emerging. That information is shared with health authorities to guide treatment choices and public health responses.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help health officials detect drug-resistant malaria sooner and change treatments to prevent more people from having ineffective therapy.
How similar studies have gone: Molecular surveillance using parasite genetic markers has helped detect resistance in other regions and is increasingly used, though combining community GPS-linked sampling with expanded hub-and-spoke genomic networks is a newer, expanding approach.
Where this research is happening
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Institute of Human Virology
Abuja, Nigeria Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Abimiku, Alash'le G. — Institute of Human Virology
- Study coordinator: Abimiku, Alash'le G.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.