About the database

The genomic record of Thailand's malaria

The Chula Malaria Genomics Database is a platform for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating DNA sequence data of Plasmodium parasites to support malaria diagnosis, treatment, research, and disease control at both national and regional levels.

Isolates10samples

Sequences20FASTA

Genes covered2loci

01Overview

A national reference for malaria genomics.

The Chula Malaria Genomics Database is intended to serve as a centralized repository of genetic information on malaria parasites in Thailand. It compiles gene sequences related to antimalarial drug resistance, molecular diagnosis, and the genetic diversity of Plasmodium species

This database plays an important role in supporting research and the development of diagnostictechnologies, monitoring mutations associated with drug resistance, and providing reference data for policy planning in malaria control and elimination. It also promotes academic collaboration at both national and international levels.

We designed to serve molecular biology, epidemiology, and disease control at national and regional scales.

02Objectives

Why this database exists.

Four mandates shape what we collect, how we analyse it, and who we share it with.

Centralise genomic data

Aggregate Thailand-wide Plasmodium sequences into one queryable, geo-tagged archive — open to clinicians, researchers, and policy makers.

Support diagnostic R&D

Provide reference sequences for the development of PCR, LAMP, and next-generation diagnostic assays tailored to local strains.

Track resistance mutations

Continuous surveillance of mutations linked to artemisinin, chloroquine, and antifolate resistance — the early-warning system for treatment failure.

Inform control & elimination

Serve as a reference dataset for national policy on malaria containment and elimination, and a backbone for cross-border academic collaboration.

03Data scope

What the database contains.

Sequences are organised around two complementary axes. the genes we curate and the species they belong to.

Gene targets

Three functional categories

Drug resistance · featured

Antimalarial resistance markers

Sentinel genes whose mutations predict treatment failure for artemisinin-based combinations, chloroquine, and partner drugs. The most actively surveilled category in the database.

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Diagnostics

Species identification

Conserved loci used by PCR and amplicon-sequencing assays to confirm and distinguish among the five human-infecting species.

18S rRNAcytBcox1mtDNA

Population diversity

Strain variation & transmission

Polymorphic surface-protein genes that fingerprint individual infections, distinguish recrudescence from reinfection, and trace transmission chains.

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Plasmodium species

Five human-infecting species

Plasmodium falciparum

P. falciparum

Plasmodium vivax

P. vivax

Plasmodium malariae

P. malariae

Plasmodium ovale

P. ovale

Plasmodium knowlesi

P. knowlesi

04Geographical coverage

Sampling spans Thailand's endemic regions, with concentration along its borders.

Specimens are sourced from outbreak-prone areas across multiple regions of Thailand — including the western provinces and border zones — where transmission persists year-round. Every record is geo-tagged so the database can be joined with the surveillance map to support epidemiological analysis, outbreak clustering, and cross-border genomic comparison.

05Current dataset

What's in the system today.

As of May 8, 2026

Total Cases10individual Plasmodium samples

Sequences deposited20FASTA-formatted DNA records

Genes covered2curated loci, expanding through 2026

06Funding & support

Backed by Chulalongkorn's Quick Win programme.

This research is supported by the Quick Win grant scheme of the Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund— Chulalongkorn University's principal source of seed funding for high-impact, time-bounded research initiatives.

FunderChulalongkorn University

ProgrammeQuick Win — Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund

Project codeQW_69_001_3700_001

Host facultyAllied Health Sciences

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