_destaque, Divulgação, Notícias

Brazil hosts international conference on Malaria research

People from around the globe, especially from endemic regions as Southeast Asia, Latin America and some places in Africa should join the event

10/04/2017
Mate?ria

Brazil was chosen for its areas endemic to the disease, besides having many research groups acting in the field

Manaus (AM) will host from June 11 to 14, 2017 the¨6th International Conference on Plasmodium Vivax Research (ICPVR), an event to promote innovative and high quality evidence exchange to underpin decision-making processes regarding the control of malaria by Plasmodium vivax, through a collaborative and wide research network. According to the Chair of the organizing committee and president of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine, Dr. Marcus Lacerda, the event will bring together renowned research groups from a broad range of knowledge fields, from Brazil and from abroad. Many already work in close collaboration with local and international authorities, with a common goal of understanding malaria vivax, he stresses.

The organizers expect up to 500 participants from all over the world, especially from endemic regions, such as Southeast Asia, Latin America and some African regions. Many important names will be present at our event. We can quote, for example, the presence of the World Health Organization Malaria Program director, Dr. Pedro Alonso. As well as Dr. Nicholas White, Tropical Medicine professor at Mahidol University, in Thailand, who has dedicated his researches to studying the parasites resistance to anti-malaria drugs, severe malaria clinic and therapy and to the knowledge of the biology of malaria vivax relapse. Lucio Luzzatto, whose one of the greatest contributions to science was cloning human enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in 1986, extremely important enzyme for malaria therapy, and who, since then, has been dedicated to the clinical, molecular and epidemiological study of this enzyme, said Dr. Wuelton Monteiro, member of the organizing committee.

Dr. Lacerda said Brazils choice as host of the ICPVR took place in Bali, Indonesia, during the last conference of the field. According to him, the choice owes to the fact Brazil has an endemic area for the disease (almost all Legal Amazon), besides having many research groups in the field. However, the most important fact is that the Countrys Malaria Control Program has stood out by reaching great advances eliminating malaria falciparum and by widely discussing measures for controlling malaria vivax, for further elimination.

Those who are interested in joining the event should register at the events website. Registration prices are USD 200.00 for undergraduate or graduate students and USD 400.00 for professionals and post-doctorate students. The deadline for abstract submission closed on March 31 and late submissions will be accepted until May 31, if the disclosed subject is a significant advance in the knowledge of this infection, said Dr. Stefanie Lopes, member of the scientific committee. Still according to her, registered participants will have free access, before the opening conference (June 11), mini-courses approaching different themes within the events field, which are Parasite Biology, Animal Models and Imaging Advances; Conducting Epidemiological Studies; Conducting Clinical trials; Understanding Omics Data and Modelling Studies; Programmatic Challenges to Vivax Malaria Elimination and Scientific Publishing. More information can be found at the events website.

According to the organizing committee, an event of such magnitude and nature will allow the conception of new accessible tools and strategies that could shorten the path towards controlling and eliminating this important public health threat; eliminating an important factor that contributes to the poverty and the diseases cycle, affecting the most disadvantaged populations. Another important aspect of the event is qualification of personnel in the Brazilian Amazon, easing knowledge exchange with renowned researchers in the field, said Dr. Lacerda.

Previous editions of the ICPRV

Bangkok, Thailand, February, 2002 – Researches on Malaria Vivax: 2002 and beyond

Rockville, MD, USA, December, 2005 – Researches on Malaria Vivax: 2005 and beyond

Panama Canal, Panama, May, 2009 – Researches on Malaria Vivax: 2009 and beyond

Barcelona, Spain, May, 2013 – Researches on Malaria Vivax: 2013 and beyond

Bali, Indonesia, May, 2015 – 5th International Conference on P. Vivax Research…