Malaria and Neglected Diseases: Clinical Epidemiology and Diagnostics

The Malaria and Neglected Diseases Clinical Epidemiology and Diagnostics Group at ISGlobal is dedicated to understanding and reducing the burden of malaria and other neglected diseases by integrating clinical epidemiology with cutting-edge diagnostic technologies.

We work across the full spectrum of care, from hospital-based management in non-endemic settings to community- and programme-level implementation in endemic countries, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations, travellers and migrants.

Comprehensive translational research approach

Our research combines host and parasite biomarkers with advanced analytical tools to improve early risk stratification and clinical decision-making. We investigate circulating markers of severity in Plasmodium falciparum malaria and translate these findings into practical algorithms for clinicians managing imported malaria. In parallel, we develop and validate novel assays for parasite biomarkers such as pLDH and pfHRP2, including smartphone-based readouts, video analysis and digital tools that enable rapid bedside assessment of disease severity.

A second core research area focuses on the development of innovative diagnostic platforms and biosensors. Building on our expertise in lateral flow immunoassays, nanoparticle-based tests, and electrochemical and E-DNA scaffold sensors, we design, optimise and critically appraise rapid diagnostic tests for malaria and neglected tropical diseases. Our work spans the entire translational pathway, from fundamental assay design and analytical validation to field evaluation, usability testing and integration into clinical workflows and surveillance systems.

Beyond malaria, we apply these diagnostic and epidemiological approaches to a broad portfolio of neglected tropical diseases and vector-borne infections, including intestinal helminths, Chagas disease and other parasitic pathogens. For other neglected tropical diseases, such as soil-transmitted helminths, our team focuses on the design and execution of rigorous clinical trials aimed at advancing evidence-based interventions.

We adopt a comprehensive translational research approach, measuring not only traditional clinical outcomes but also public health indicators, treatment coverage, operational feasibility and community acceptability. By integrating detailed clinical assessments with real-world implementation data, our trials generate robust evidence to guide regulatory evaluation, optimise treatment strategies and inform large-scale control and elimination programmes. Through projects such as STOP, we collaborate with public health programmes and international partners to strengthen scalable, low-cost screening and control strategies.

A multidisciplinary team

The group works in close collaboration with the Hospital Clínic Travel Medicine and International Health Services, as well as with national and international partners in both endemic and non-endemic countries. Together, we aim to generate evidence that directly informs clinical guidelines, improves patient care and supports the design of more effective control and elimination strategies for malaria and neglected diseases worldwide.

Our multidisciplinary team integrates clinical research, epidemiology and innovative diagnostic approaches to address the complex challenges posed by these diseases.

Research Areas

Specific areas of research interest include:

• Clinical epidemiology of imported and endemic malaria, with a focus on early recognition of severe disease in travellers and migrants.
• Discovery, validation and clinical translation of host biomarkers for early identification of severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria and other infections.
• Development and optimisation of parasite biomarker assays (e.g. pLDH, pfHRP2) using rapid tests, quantitative platforms and multiplex technologies.
• Smartphone- and video-based tools for digital interpretation of rapid diagnostic tests and bedside risk stratification.
• Design, fabrication and critical appraisal of rapid diagnostic platforms, including nanoparticle-based and electrochemical biosensors.
• Application of biosensor technologies to neglected tropical diseases, particularly helminth infections and Chagas disease, to support public health programmes.
• Field evaluation, implementation research and cost-effective deployment of rapid diagnostics in low-resource and rural settings.
• Surveillance of vector-borne and travel-related infections, including emerging vectors and their public health impact.
• Integration of diagnostic, clinical and epidemiological data to inform guidelines, improve patient management and support control and elimination strategies.
• Design and execution of rigorous clinical trials integrating clinical, epidemiological and implementation evidence to advance effective interventions for neglected tropical diseases.

Research projects of the group

• Stop project
• Stop 2030
• 3SI-Control

Selected papers

• Pedreira-Rincón J; Balerdi-Sarasola L; Villanueva G; Fleitas PE; Jimenez A; Mayor A; Muñoz J; Subirà C; Alvarez-Martinez MJ; Petrone P; Camprubí-Ferrer D; Parolo C. pLDH to identify severity in imported malaria: implementing smartphone video analysis for rapid clinical decision-making. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. 2026;294:118228. ISSN 0956-5663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2025.118228. IF 10.50 (Q1)
• Balerdi-Sarasola L; Muñoz J; Fleitas P; Rodriguez-Valero N; Almuedo-Riera A; Antequera A; Subira C; Grafia-Perez I; Ortiz-Fernández M; de Alba T; Álvarez-Martínez MJ; Valls ME; Parolo C; Castro P; Camprubí-Ferrer D. Not all severe malaria cases are severe: is it time to redefine severity criteria for malaria in non-endemic regions? Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2024 Jul–Aug;60:102740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2024.102740. IF 6.30 (Q1)
• Balerdi-Sarasola L; Parolo C; Fleitas P; Cruz A; Subirà C; Rodríguez-Valero N; Almuedo-Riera A; Letona L; Álvarez-Martínez MJ; Valls ME; Vera I; Mayor A; Muñoz J; Camprubí-Ferrer D. Host biomarkers for early identification of severe imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2023 Jul–Aug;54:102608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2023.102608. PMID: 37348666. IF 20.44 (Q1)
• Yang Q, et al. An aptamer-based electrochemical sensor for the quantification of the malaria biomarker lactate dehydrogenase. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. 2025;274:117152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2025.117152
• Cambra-Pellejà M; van Lieshout L; Baptista-Pires L; Vilaplana M; Muñoz J; Gandasegui J; Parolo C. Crucial role of biosensors in the detection of helminth biomarkers in public health programmes. The Lancet Microbe. 2025;6(2):100964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanmic.2024.100964
• Pedreira-Rincón J; Rivas L; Comenge J; Skouridou V; Camprubí-Ferrer D; Muñoz J; O’Sullivan CK; Chamorro-Garcia A; Parolo C. A comprehensive review of competitive lateral flow assays over the past decade. Lab Chip. 2025;25(11):2578–2608. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4lc01075b
• Parolo C; Sena-Torralba A; Bergua JF; Calucho E; Fuentes-Chust C; Hu L; Rivas L; Álvarez-Diduk R; Nguyen EP; Cinti S; Quesada-González D; Merkoçi A. Tutorial: design and fabrication of nanoparticle-based lateral-flow immunoassays. Nature Protocols. 2020;15(12):3788–3816. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-020-0357-x
• Parolo C; Idili A; Ortega G; Csordas A; Hsu A; Arroyo-Currás N; Yang Q; Ferguson BS; Wang J; Plaxco KW. Real-time monitoring of a protein biomarker. ACS Sensors. 2020;5(7):1877–1881
• Parolo C; Greenwood AS; Ogden NE; Kang D; Hawes C; Ortega G; Arroyo-Currás N; Plaxco KW. E-DNA scaffold sensors and the reagentless, single-step measurement of HIV-diagnostic antibodies in human serum. Microsystems & Nanotechnology. 2020;6(1):13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41378-019-0119-5
• Fleitas PE; Bengtson M; Messa A; Bartilol B; Gelaye W; Kepha S; Gandasegui J; de Jesus Á; Novela V; Mandomando I; Mwandawiro C; Enbiale W; Krolewiecki A; Muñoz J; Rono M; van Lieshout L. Assessing the diagnostic value of qPCR for Trichuris trichiura. Frontiers in Parasitology. 2025;4:1679294. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpara.2025.1679294
• Fleitas PE; Gandasegui J; Gelaye W; Messa A; Kepha S; van Lieshout L; Algorta J; de Jesus Á; Novela V; Mandomando I; Mwandawiro C; Enbiale W; Muñoz J; Krolewiecki A. Individual-level analysis of the efficacy of albendazole and albendazole–ivermectin co-formulation. Acta Tropica. 2025;269:107742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2025.107742
• Algorta J; Kepha S; Krolewiecki A; Li H; Giang J; Fleitas P; Mwandawiro C; Muñoz J; and the STOP Consortium. Population pharmacokinetics and exposure–response analysis of ivermectin–albendazole. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2025;117:203–213. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpt.3424
• Gandasegui J; Fleitas PE; Petrone P; et al. Baseline gut microbiota diversity and albendazole efficacy in hookworm-infected individuals. Parasites & Vectors. 2024;17:387. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06469-1
• Fleitas PE; Balerdi Sarasola L; Camprubi Ferrer D; Muñoz J; Petrone P. Machine learning approach to identify malaria risk in travellers using real-world evidence. Heliyon. 2024;10(7):e28534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28534
• Krolewiecki A; Enbiale W; Gandasegui J; et al. An adaptive phase II/III randomised controlled trial of albendazole–ivermectin (ALIVE). Gates Open Research. 2022;6:62. https://doi.org/10.12688/gatesopenres.13615.1
• Balerdi-Sarasola L; Fleitas P; Bottieau E; Genton B; Petrone P; Muñoz J; Camprubí-Ferrer D. MALrisk: a machine-learning–based tool to predict imported malaria in returned travellers with fever. Journal of Travel Medicine. 2024;31(8):taae054. https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taae054

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