Eduard Rovira is a Project Coordinator at the Malaria Physiopathology group in ISGlobal. He has more than 14 years of experience in malaria biomedical research, project management, and capacity building in Europe, Africa, and South-East Asia.
He did his PhD at the Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB)-University of Barcelona (2011) working on molecular mechanisms and immunological responses in malaria during pregnancy. In 2013, he joined the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, as a Postdoctoral Assistant (2013-2016) and Scientific Expert Fellow (2016-2018). At ITM he coordinated several projects on malaria molecular epidemiology, antimalarial drug resistance, and malaria transmission dynamics in collaboration with partners in Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Peru, and Mozambique. He also co-led two therapeutic efficacy trials for P. falciparum and P. vivax in Central Vietnam.
Between 2018 and 2021 he was a consultant on epidemiology and molecular biology at Vysnova Partners, Inc (United States) working for US DoD-funded malaria research program in Vietnam, with a focus on the asymptomatic malaria parasite reservoir and surveillance of hrp2-deletions.
Since 202,1 he is Staff Scientist within the Malaria Physiopathology group, where he is responsible for coordinating malaria genomic surveillance activities and providing technical assistance to the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM, Mozambique) malaria team. He also has a transversal role supporting the PI in the overall technical supervision and coordination of laboratory activities.
Lines of research
- Implementation of malaria genomic surveillance systems in low-to-middle income countries
- Molecular epidemiology of P.falciparum resistance to antimalarial drugs and point-of-care diagnostics
- Use of genomic tools for improving malaria stratification, monitoring and impact evaluations in different epidemiological settings
Main publications
2. Rovira-Vallbona E*, Hong NV*, Kattenberg JH, Huan RM, Hien NTT, Ngoc NTH, Guetens P, Hieu NL, Mai TT, Duong NTT, Duong TT, Phuc BQ, Xa NX, Erhart A, Rosanas-Urgell A. Efficacy of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and artesunate monotherapy for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Central Vietnam. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2020 Aug 1;75(8):2272-2281. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkaa172
3. Natama HM, Rovira-Vallbona E, Sorgho H, Somé MA, Traoré-Coulibaly M, Scott S, Zango SH, Sawadogo O, Zongo SC, Valéa I, Mens PF, Schallig HDFH, Kestens L, Tinto H, Rosanas-Urgell A. Additional Screening and Treatment of Malaria During Pregnancy Provides Further Protection Against Malaria and Nonmalarial Fevers During the First Year of Life. J Infect Dis. 2018 May 25;217(12):1967-1976
4. Rovira-Vallbona E, Contreras-Mancilla JJ, Ramirez R, Guzmán-Guzmán M, Carrasco-Escobar G,Llanos-Cuentas A, Vinetz JM, Gamboa D, Rosanas-Urgell A. Predominance of asymptomatic and submicroscopic infections characterizes the Plasmodium gametocyte reservoir in the Peruvian Amazon. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Jul 3;11(7): e0005674.
5. Rovira-Vallbona E, Dobaño C, Bardají A, Cisteró P, Romagosa C, Serra-Casas E, Quintó L, Bassat Q, Sigaúque B, Alonso PL, Ordi J, Menéndez C, Mayor A. Transcription of var genes other than var2csa in Plasmodium falciparum parasites infecting Mozambican pregnant women. J Infect Dis, 2011. 204(1): p. 27-35.
