Ousmane Sarr

TL;DR: An initial survey of genetic variation across the P. falciparum genome is described and its potential utility in identifying genes subject to recent natural selection and in understanding the population genetics of this parasite is demonstrated.

TL;DR: A large study of in vivo expression profiles of parasites derived directly from blood samples from infected patients reveals a previously unknown physiological diversity in the in vivo biology of the malaria parasite, and indicates in vivo and in vitro studies to determine how this variation may affect disease manifestations and treatment.

TL;DR: It is speculated that an amplification of the GTP cyclohydrolase enzyme in the folate biosynthesis pathway may increase flux through this pathway and facilitate parasite resistance to antifolate drugs.

TL;DR: The distinct population profile of nonsynonymous variants indicates that natural selection has a significant influence on genomic diversity in P. falciparum, and that many of these changes may reflect functional variants deserving of follow-up study.

TL;DR: The findings show that var typing as a molecular surveillance system defines the extent of genetic complexity in the reservoir of infection to complement measures of malaria prevalence and suggest that var genetics could greatly inform current malaria mapping approaches and predict complex malaria population dynamics.