CIGASS part of PMI REACH Consortium Global Malaria Diagnostics and Coordination of PARMA
The International Center for Research and Training in Applied Genomics and Health Surveillance (CIGASS) at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) is part of a consortium that was awarded the five-year U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative Reaching Every At-Risk Community and Household with Malaria Services (PMI REACH Malaria) project. They will work with partner countries’ ministries of health and national malaria programs to strengthen prevention, detection, and treatment of malaria in health facilities and by community health workers to reduce malaria cases and save lives.
PARMA Hub and Its Role
The Partnership for Antimalarial Resistance Monitoring in Africa (PARMA), established in 2014, aims to tackle the limitations of existing infrastructure for monitoring the efficacy of antimalarial treatments across Africa. As the coordinating body, CIGASS facilitates key activities under PARMA’s two primary objectives:
Assisting PMI-partner countries by testing samples from therapeutic efficacy studies (TESs) to identify molecular markers associated with antimalarial drug resistance.
Enhancing the capabilities of African researchers and healthcare professionals through training focused on the latest diagnostic techniques and data analysis methods.
About REACH Project
CIGASS also supports the planning and implementation of TES, monitoring hrp2/3 gene deletions that could lead to false negatives in rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), and fostering information exchange across the PARMA network.
Contributions to Global Malaria Control
Strategic Guidance: CIGASS lends its expertise to shape both the U.S. PMI REACH Malaria’s technical strategies and global diagnostic practices. Their input helps refine how malaria is diagnosed and treated.
Policy Development: CIGASS actively contributes to the development and revision of malaria policies at various levels. They focus on enhancing guidelines that govern the use and interpretation of diagnostics in malaria.
Training and Technical Assistance:
CIGASS runs training programs to build a skilled workforce ready to tackle malaria diagnostics challenges. They engage in direct training, catering to the needs of healthcare providers across Africa.
As part of their role at PARMA, they enhance the diagnostic capabilities of personnel involved in malaria control, ensuring that diagnostics are accurate and effective.
Quality Control and Assurance: Establishing robust quality assurance frameworks for malaria diagnostics, CIGASS ensures that testing procedures meet international standards for accuracy and reliability.
Standardizing Microscopy Practices: through the WHO External Competence Assessment of Malaria Microscopists (ECAMM) program, CIGASS contributes to the standardization of malaria microscopy practices, ensuring that microscopists across different regions adhere to the highest diagnostic standards. CIGASS organizes training sessions and workshops as part of ECAMM to continually enhance the skills of microscopists. They facilitate regular assessments of malaria microscopists to certify their competence in accurately diagnosing malaria. This is especially important for countries conducting Therapeutic Efficacy Studies (TES), where the primary measure of antimalarial efficacy is based on observing parasite clearance through microscopy.
Community-Level Support: By providing technical advice for community-level diagnostics, CIGASS ensures that local malaria control measures are informed by the latest scientific advancements and are effective in real-world settings.
Global Collaboration: CIGASS facilitates collaboration among various partners in the field of diagnostics, helping to shape a cohesive global response to malaria. They also aid in the development of international guidelines that standardize the response to malaria diagnostics challenges.
