The influence of genomics on the control of malaria and other vector-borne diseases

The genomes of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and a major vector, Anopheles gambiae, have now been sequenced. The former is in a finished format while the latter still requires complete closure and annotation. The challenge now is to use this major resource, which is freely searchable by all scientists, to develop new effective control methods for diseases such as malaria. Once these methods have been developed, a further large challenge is their operational implementation, given the lack of success internationally of achieving the Abuja targets with impregnated bednets for malaria.