Equip ISGlobal

Ana Chopo holds a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Barcelona and an MSc in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). She has a strong background in the epidemiology, genomics, and immunology of infectious diseases.

Before returning to Barcelona in 2025, Ana worked for over 2.5 years at LSHTM on The Plus Project, which implemented and evaluated Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention (PMC) with sulphadoxine–pyrimethamine (SP) in children under two years of age in Cameroon, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mozambique. This work was conducted in partnership with National Malaria Control Programmes to catalyse the implementation of PMC.

At ISGlobal, Ana is conducting her predoctoral research within the project REDEM: Risk of Reintroduction of Dengue in the Mediterranean. The project aims to develop Early Warning Systems (EWS) to mitigate the risk of dengue virus (DENV) expansion into non-endemic regions such as the Mediterranean. This is achieved by integrating clinical, epidemiological, climatic, and entomological data using machine-learning approaches, with the ultimate goal of prioritising vector control strategies. In addition, Ana contributes her expertise in malaria epidemiology and immunology to support other projects within her research group.

Línies de recerca

• Infectious diseases
• Dengue
• Development of lateral flow assays
• Fever in the returned travelers
• Malaria
• Machine-Learning risk prediction tools

Publicacions principals

• Martinez-Vega, R., Chaponda, M., Mousa, A., Gwasupika, J., Chaponda, E. B., Daka, V., Mwanza, S., Chipunga, M., Beshir, K. B., Chopo-Pizarro, A., Kaur, H., Okell, L., Hansson, H., Hocke, E. F., Alifrangis, M., Gosling, R., Roper, C., Sutherland, C., & Chico, R. M. (2025). Parasite clearance and protection from Plasmodium falciparum infection (PCPI): a two-arm, parallel, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial of presumptive sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine versus artesunate monotherapy among asymptomatic children 3-5 years of age in Zambia. BMC infectious diseases, 25(1), 1547. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11975-3
• Hocke, E. F., Hansson, H., Chopo-Pizarro, A., Adegbola, A. J., Bolaji, O., Ngwa Niba, P. T., Ali, I. M., Nji, A., Mbacham, W., Baraka, V., Kulaya, N. B., Kahunu, G. M., Mavoko, H. M., Nkoli, P. M., Sompwe, E. M., Mbongi, D., Mitashi, P., Bédia, V. A., Gnagne, P. A., Konaté, A., … Roper, C. (2025). A novel intron variant is associated with emerging pfdhps mutant haplotypes in West and Central African Plasmodium falciparum. International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance, 29, 100611. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpddr.2025.100611
• Mousa, A., Cuomo-Dannenburg, G., Thompson, H. A., Bell, D. J., D'Alessandro, U., Gosling, R., Nahum, A., Barnes, K. I., Raman, J., Workmann, L., Foo, Y. S., Flegg, J. A., Hocke, E. F., Hansson, H., Chopo-Pizarro, A., Beshir, K. B., Alifrangis, M., Chico, R. M., Sutherland, C. J., Okell, L. C., … Roper, C. (2025). Impact of dhps mutations on sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine protective efficacy and implications for malaria chemoprevention. Nature communications, 16(1), 4268. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58326-z
• Mitchell, R. A., Macià, D., Jairoce, C., Mpina, M., Naidu, A., Chopo-Pizarro, A., Vázquez-Santiago, M., Campo, J. J., Aide, P., Aguilar, R., Daubenberger, C., Dobaño, C., & Moncunill, G. (2024). Effect of RTS,S/AS01E vaccine booster dose on cellular immune responses in African infants and children. NPJ vaccines, 9(1), 200. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-024-00977-y
• Martinez-Vega, R., Mbacham, W. F., Ali, I., Nji, A., Mousa, A., Beshir, K. B., Chopo-Pizarro, A., Kaur, H., Okell, L., Hansson, H., Hocke, E. F., Alifrangis, M., Gosling, R., Roper, C., Sutherland, C., & Chico, R. M. (2024). Parasite clearance and protection from Plasmodium falciparum infection (PCPI): a three-arm, parallel, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial of presumptive sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine versus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine versus artesunate monotherapy among asymptomatic children 3-5 years of age in Cameroon. BMC infectious diseases, 24(1), 1028. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-09868-y