ONT's long-read sequencing allows for the acquisition of more than 5,000 complete malaria genomes directly from endemic African countries.

The study “Continental-scale genomic surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum malaria with rapid nanopore sequencing”, carried out by an international consortium that included the Max Planck Institute and leading research centers in Africa like Zambia's National Malaria Elimination Center, used the portable long-read sequencing by Oxford Nanopore technology to analyze more than 5,000 complete malaria genomes across several African countries. The goal was to show that portable sequencing can enable decentralized, rapid genomic surveillance directly in the regions most affected, without relying on distant central laboratories.

The findings demonstrate that next-generation genomics can be brought into endemic settings with quality comparable to reference labs. This approach not only identified drug-resistance variants but also revealed how parasite populations spread between countries. By making routine malaria surveillance faster and more accessible, portable sequencing could strengthen real-time public health responses. Malaria remains a major health challenge, especially in Africa, where drug resistance threatens control efforts.

Mulenga and her scientific colleagues in Zambia's National Malaria Elimination Center are key contributors to the country's fight against the disease. Photo: PATH/Sarah Anderson.

Read more: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.23.666274v1