Sylvie Manguin, winner of the ASEAN Springboard Prize from the Academy of Sciences
Sylvie Manguin, Research Director atIRD, a medical and molecular entomologist at UMR Hydrosciences Montpellier, is the 2023 winner of the ASEAN Springboard Award for her research on innovative approaches to studying the transmission of simian malaria in endemic areas of Thailand in collaboration with Prof. Theeraphap Chareonviriyaphap of Kasetsart University in Bangkok (Thailand).
PRIORITY RESEARCH PROJECT
Internationally recognized for her work, Sylvie Manguin studies vector-borne diseases in Southeast Asia and Africa and the development of environmentally friendly vector control methods. She coordinates and participates in European, international, and national projects focusing on mosquitoes and their role in the transmission of pathogens (malaria, dengue fever).
In 2004, she began collaborating with Theeraphap Chareonviriyaphap, a professor at Kasetsart University in Bangkok. “Our shared interest in studying disease vectors, particularly mosquitoes that transmit malaria parasites or the dengue, chikungunya, and other arboviruses, has allowed us to build a strong relationship based on mutual respect and trust,” explains Sylvie Manguin. This relationship has enabled some thirty students (Master’s, PhD) from the Thai university to train in the laboratory in Montpellier and several of them to pursue joint PhD programs between Kasetsart University and the University of Montpellier. Thanks to the teaching Sylvie Manguin has provided to Thai students over the past 20 years, she was awarded the title of Associate Professor at Kasetsart University in 2023.
The research project that won the Academy of Sciences award focuses on the prevalence of simian malaria in areas where macaque populations are found. It was identified as a priority area of study for Thailand in light of the increasing transmission of simian malaria in Southeast Asia. Its main objective is to assess the threat this zoonosis poses to the human population in Thailand. One line of research aims to identify which species of Anopheles mosquitoes are capable of transmitting simian parasites to humans. Another focus will be on controlling these vectors using vector control methods based on repellents made from natural molecules, providing the population with protection against bites outdoors.
“Our goal is to explore, within the ‘One Health’ framework, the biological characteristics of vectors and the transmission dynamics of simian malaria in order to facilitate the elimination of malaria in Thailand, scheduled for 2024,” emphasizes Sylvie Manguin.
ASEAN SPRINGBOARD AWARD
Sponsored by the French Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the ASEAN Tremplin Award recognizes outstanding scientific collaborations between France and the ASEAN region (Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam).