Cayetano Heredia Brings Together Representatives from Across the Americas to Advance Molecular Surveillance of Malaria

Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia is hosting the First Regional Workshop for the Implementation of the Malaria Molecular Surveillance (MMS) Americas Network from August 24 to 26. The meeting brings together in Lima representatives from national malaria programs, reference laboratories, researchers, and specialists from 15 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean to define priorities and implementation pathways for molecular surveillance of malaria in the region.

In April 2026, Cayetano Heredia, through the Center for Biomedical Research and Training in the Amazon (CEIBA), assumed leadership of the MMS Americas Network together with the National Autonomous University of Honduras for a two-year period. The network connects key stakeholders across Latin America and the Caribbean involved in malaria surveillance and control. Harvard University and the Pan American Health Organization also participate in its Steering Committee, and the initiative receives funding from the Gates Foundation.

The workshop aims to translate this regional effort into concrete outcomes, including the development of preliminary national roadmaps, the identification of priorities for training, quality assessment, and technical assistance, as well as the promotion of knowledge and experience exchange among laboratories. The program also includes discussion of a proposed Lima Declaration on Molecular Surveillance of Malaria in the Americas.

Over the course of three days, participants will assess existing capacities and gaps across countries in the region, as well as the technical needs associated with incorporating molecular surveillance tools. Technical coordination will be led by Dr. Dionicia Gamboa and Dr. Luis Cabrera Sosa, researchers from CEIBA at Cayetano Heredia, together with specialists from the institutions that make up the network.

The meeting marks the transition from building a regional network to defining priorities and practical pathways for implementing molecular surveillance. From Cayetano Heredia, this process connects research developed in Peru with a regional scientific agenda aimed at addressing the challenges of malaria in the Americas through coordinated action.