Top researchers, clinicians and public health experts, including a delegation of app of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) scientists, gathered in Spain for the 2025 on Malaria under the theme “Shifting Landscapes in Malaria Research, Control and Prevention".
Research Fellow Dr Leen Vanheer, who was funded by the AMR Centre to attend, had the chance to give a talk and network at the event held from 25–30 May in the coastal town of Castelldefels, just outside Barcelona. She was joined by colleagues including Katie Patterson, Dr Fitsum Tadesse, and Dr William Stone.
The Gordon Research Conference series is known for its intimate and collaborative format, and the malaria conference was no exception. With a focus on fostering open discussion and idea exchange, the week-long event covered emerging topics such as antimalarial drug resistance, vector control innovation, malaria vaccines, and the molecular biology of Plasmodium species.
For Dr Vanheer, the highlight of the conference was the growing concern over artemisinin and lumefantrine resistance in Africa, including Uganda, where a new molecular marker of resistance was identified. In contrast, encouraging data from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam showed dramatic declines in malaria incidence and resistance markers following recent shifts in treatment protocols — offering hope for other malaria endemic regions.
Leen delivered a talk based on her poster abstract, titled “Convergent Evolution of Artemisinin and Chloroquine Resistance in Ethiopian Plasmodium falciparum Parasites.” The study, led by Dr Fitsum Tadesse’s group at the in Addis Ababa, analysed antimalarial resistance in over 600 parasite isolates across 15 districts in Ethiopia, where malaria incidence has surged nearly tenfold over the past five years.
She presented findings on the increasing prevalence of Pfkelch13 gene variants linked to artemisinin partial resistance—variants that also showed regional clustering and frequent co-occurrence with chloroquine resistance markers. These insights highlight the urgent need for surveillance and proactive treatment strategies to safeguard the efficacy of frontline therapies like artemether-lumefantrine.
Dr Vanheer said: “It was an honour to present at the Gordon Malaria Conference. The intimate setting provided ample opportunities to connect with other attendees and engage in conversations with leaders in the field. The feedback I received, and new connections made have set the stage for potential collaborations.”
The presence of multiple LSHTM researchers further enriched her experience, sparking internal collaboration and deepening the School’s engagement with the global malaria research agenda.
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