Recerca - El nostre equip

 Alfredo Mayor uses a discovery-oriented approach guided by priorities identified by malaria endemic countries and grounded in collaborative efforts to provide scientific evidence on the value of innovative approaches for malaria surveillance and action, with a special emphasis in Mozambique. 

His research activities rely on four key principles:

• Advancing scientific knowledge on malaria to improve malaria control and elimination
• Prioritization based on programmatic needs though a dialogue with National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and other stakeholders
• Translational approach building from basic biology of host-parasite interactions
•  Empowering the new generation of researchers in Mozambique and other malaria endemic countries through capacity building and rooting research in the country.

The public health impact that Mayor is pursuing with his research is: 

• Guide interventions at scale through a cost-effective and granular malaria stratification
• Select impactful interventions through an improved understanding of their efficacy and effectiveness in reducing transmission
• Early warning of parasite threats that can compromise control and elimination
• Target the transmission reservoir for malaria elimination by triggering locally targeted responses
• Expand national capacities to transform surveillance into a key malaria intervention 
• Reduce malaria morbidity and mortality. 

To conduct the research activities, Mayor has combined omic tools (next generation sequencing, high-throughput serological assays and transcriptomics), state-of the art epidemiological approaches (impact evaluations, analysis of geo-spatial clustering and modelling) and clinical trials to inform the Ministries of Health on tools for malaria control and elimination. 

Publicacions principals

• Mayor A; Ishengoma DS; Proctor JL. et al.(AC). (1/4). 2023. Sampling for malaria molecular surveillance Trends In Parasitology. Elsevier Ltd. 39(11), pp.S1471-8. ISSN 1471-4922. SCOPUS (2) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2023.08.007
• da Silva C; Boene S; Datta D.et al.(29/29). 2023. Targeted and whole-genome sequencing reveal a north-south divide in P. falciparum drug resistance markers and genetic structure in Mozambique. Commun Biol. Nature Research. 6(1), pp.619-619. ISSN 2399-3642. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04997-7
• van Eijk AM; Stepniewska K; Hill J. et al.(14/15). 2023. Prevalence of and risk factors for microscopic and submicroscopic malaria infections in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis Lancet Global Health. Elsevier. Ltd.. 11(7), pp.S2214-8. ISSN 2214-109X. SCOPUS (4) https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00194-8
• Pujol A; Brokhattingen N; Matambisso G.et al. (28/28). 2023. Detecting temporal and spatial malaria patterns from first antenatal care visits Nature Communications. Nature Publishing Group. 14(1), pp.4004-4004. ISSN 2041-1723. Otros (4) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39662-4
• Martínez-Martínez FJ; Massinga AJ; De Jesus Á.et al. (20/20). 2023. Tracking SARS-CoV-2 introductions in Mozambique using pandemic-scale phylogenies: a retrospective observational study Lancet Global Health. Elsevier. Ltd.. 11(6), pp.e933-e941. ISSN 2214-109X. WOS (1) https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00169-9
• Mayor A; da Silva C; Rovira-Vallbona E.et al.(AC). (1/19). 2022. Prospective surveillance study to detect antimalarial drug resistance, gene deletions of diagnostic relevance and genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum in Mozambique: protocol Bmj Open. BMJ Publishing Group. 12(7), pp.e063456. ISSN 2044-6055. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063456
• Matambisso G; Brokhattingen N; Maculuve S.et al. (23/23). 2022. Gravidity and malaria trends interact to modify P. falciparum densities and detectability in pregnancy: a 3-year prospective multi-site observational study. BMC Medicine. BIOMED CENTRAL LTD. 20(1), pp.396. ISSN 1741-7015.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02597-6
• Mayor A, Bardají, A, Macete E. et al.(AC). (1/23).  2015. Changing Trends in P. falciparum Burden, Immunity, and Disease in Pregnancy. New England Journal Of Medicine. Massachusetts Medical Society. 373(17), pp.1607-1617. ISSN 0028-4793. SCOPUS (54) https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1406459
• Mayor A, Menéndez C, Walker PGT (AC). (1/3). 2019. Targeting Pregnant Women for Malaria Surveillance. Trends In Parasitology. Elsevier Ltd. 35(9), pp.677-686. ISSN 1471-4922. SCOPUS (17) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2019.07.005
• Galatas, B., Martí-Soler H, Nhamussua L, Cisteró P, Aide P, Saute F, Menéndez C, Rabinovich R, Alonso PL, Bassat Q, Mayor, A. Dynamics of afebrile Plasmodium falciparum Infections in Mozambican Men. Clin Infect Dis. 2018 Sep 14;67(7):1045-1052. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciy219