Prof Anna Rosanas-Urgell is a Professor and Head of the Malariology Unit at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp. She is a molecular epidemiologist and geneticist with over 19 years of experience in researching Plasmodium parasites. She completed a MSc in Experimental research at the University of Barcelona and a MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, followed by a PhD in Genetics (University of Barcelona). Her postdoctoral work at the University of São Paulo and the Hospital of Tropical Medicine in Manaus focused on investigating P. vivax spleen evasion mechanisms and monitoring the malaria surveillance system in the region.

In 2007, Prof Rosanas-Urgell joined ISGlobal in Barcelona and the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) in Papua New Guinea, where she supervised field and the molecular work for a longitudinal cohort study to investigate the burden of infection and disease caused by P. vivax. In 2009, she became Head of the Molecular and Epidemiology Unit at IMR, where she developed and led the malaria molecular epidemiology program, focusing on the association of red blood cells polymorphisms with malaria susceptibility and the epidemiology of P. falciparum and P. vivax. In 2012, Prof Rosanas-Urgell was appointed Head of the Malariology Unit at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp.

Fundamental research questions at the core of Prof Rosanas-Urgell’s unit continue to be solidly grounded in field-research providing a rare bridge between in vivo and in vitro studies. Current activities span Plasmodium research in Africa, South America, South-East Asia and Oceania. By using state-of-the-art molecular and cell biology technologies, Prof Rosanas-Urgell’s unit aims to gain understanding on how malaria parasites (P. falciparum and P. vivax) adapt to the environment for parasite evasion and survival. The unit focus on how host factors such as genetics, exposure to drugs and immunity can modify individual risk and modulate parasite decision to replicate or reproduce. The unit uses genomic epidemiology studies to investigate how parasite adaptation (through selection pressure on parasite phenotypes) is moderated at the genomic and transcriptomic level. In complementarity with this and closely connected to the ongoing disease-elimination efforts, the unit aims to contribute to the development of innovative surveillance tools and improved strategies.