Can We Eliminate Malaria?

UC Davis Nelson lecturer shares how new technologies provide hope for ending a global health problem

Sacramento, Calif. –  Dominic Kwiatkowski, a geneticist and clinical researcher with Oxford University in England, will speak on new genomics approaches and the promise they hold for improved malaria treatments, including a vaccine. A well-known expert on diseases of the developing world, Kwiatkowski is working with research partners in over 20 countries to develop technologies that can help overcome drug resistance and improve understanding of natural disease immunity.

Kwiatkowski’s address – ‘Fighting Malaria: Translating Genome Technologies into New Tools for Global Health’ – is part of the UC Davis School of Medicine Nelson Scientific Lectureship. Established to honor Woodland, Calif., pioneers Camillus and Elizabeth Nelson, the lectureship provides a series of thought-provoking speakers on current issues in medicine and science.

Background:

Malaria is a parasitic disease carried by mosquitoes that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and kills close to a million African children each year. Malaria-control efforts have been challenged by the parasite’s ability to evolve, both to avoid the human immune system and resist malaria drugs.