Fabien Vulu, MD, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) specializing in mosquito vectors of malaria parasites and viruses. He joined the IDEEL Lab at the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases to study under the mentorship of Dr. Jonathan Parr, MD, MPH, training in malaria parasite sequencing for the PaluSeq (séquençage du paludisme) project, a state-of-the art surveillance program for antimalarial drug-resistance mutations in the DRC.
Growing up in a country where malaria remains a persistent public health challenge, Dr. Vulu developed a deep interest in infectious diseases, molecular biology, and epidemiology. In 2013, he graduated from medical school at the University of Kinshasa and joined the Department of Tropical Medicine as a master’s student and researcher, to gain laboratory and field experience.
“I was motivated to pursue tropical medicine because infectious disease is a significant public health challenge in the DRC,” said Dr. Vulu. “During my specialization, I witnessed the powerful impact that both clinical and laboratory research can have on public health.”
That connection became clearest during the 2016 yellow fever outbreak when Dr. Vulu worked to identify the mosquito species involved in disease transmission.
“The experience showed me how critical vector research is in understanding and preventing disease spread, and it solidified my desire to solve complex health challenges facing my community.”
During this time, CDC Entomologist Seth Irish was visiting the Kinshasa Zoo and discovered a mosquito species that was not known to exist in the DRC. Vulu and his supervisor at the time, Professor Thierry Bobanga at Kinshasa’s Department of Tropical Medicine, published a paper about the first detection of Aedes albopictus in the DRC, an invasive mosquito species from East Asia. This led Dr. Vulu to pursue his PhD at Nagasaki University in Japan, focusing on the geographical distribution and population genetic structure of Aedes mosquitoes in the DRC.
Building the Future of Research in Africa
“Malaria is a major cause of death among children in many countries in Africa, and control efforts are now threatened by the rise of new strains with resistance to antimalarial drugs,” said Dr. Parr.
“As an expert entomologist, Dr. Zulu will help us better address mosquitoes as part of our malaria projects worldwide, while helping the DRC malaria control program monitor for and respond to emerging resistant malaria parasite strains. The training component of his postdoc is bidirectional – we will learn as much from him as he does from us.”
Through his work in the IDEEL Lab, Dr. Vulu is gaining experience with advanced genomic tools and contributing to a multidisciplinary scientific community dedicated to tackling global infectious diseases. He is also gaining new skills in advanced sequencing methods that will be applied in the DRC as part of PaluSeq.
Since joining the IDEEL Lab, Vulu has mastered PCR techniques to detect and quantify malaria parasites in blood samples, and is now using sequencing and bioinformatic analysis to identify drug resistance markers using PaluSeq samples. He also is also learning how to use automated liquid handlers to process large numbers of samples quickly and efficiently, reducing analysis time dramatically.
Advancing Malaria Genomics
One of the biggest current challenges in malaria control is drug resistance. PaluSeq leverages molecular and genomic techniques to detect genetic mutations associated with resistance to antimalarial drugs. By analyzing these markers, the project will provide real-time data to public health officials and policymakers, helping them make informed decisions on malaria treatment strategies. This data can also be used to improve understanding of malaria transmission patterns, including how parasite strains evolve and spread.
Movement of people within and across the DRC’s borders has increased the risk of spread of resistant strains and is a challenge to malaria control efforts. The First Congo War in 1996, for instance, was a significant moment in this narrative. As people fled across regions, they unknowingly transported malaria strains, transforming the disease’s genetic landscape.
Dr. Vulu’s collaborative work is inspired by knowledge that controlling malaria in one country is impossible without addressing it in neighboring regions.
“If you control malaria in Zambia but not in the Congo, people moving between countries will continue to spread the parasites,” he emphasizes.
This cross-border perspective recognizes that disease knows no political boundaries.
This complexity goes beyond just the parasite’s adaptability. It extends to agricultural practices, as insecticides used to protect crops are simultaneously training mosquitoes to become more resilient.
“Malathion is dangerous for humans but efficient against some mosquito species,” said Dr. Vulu. “But by the time public health sectors consider using it, mosquitoes have already developed resistance through agricultural exposure.”
Dr. Vulu says resistance to various antimalarial drugs like sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and chloroquine is widespread in Africa, and that identification of markers of resistance to first-line artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) raises significant concern. For now, these ACTs continue to kill malaria parasites, but efforts like PaluSeq to closely monitor the situation are very important.
“It’s not just about tracking a disease, but understanding its ecological, political, and human dimensions. By collaborating with international partners in the IDEEL Lab, we can build a comprehensive understanding of how malaria parasites are moving and changing. This work can ultimately be used to help us overcome this terrible infection.”