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Research Interests
Dr. Venkatesan is the Molecular Coordinator of the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), a global organization working to track the emergence and spread of drug-resistant malaria. Dr. Venkatesan's activities include coordinating a global data repository and online visualization tools of malaria drug resistance markers, developing protocols for collection and analysis of molecular markers of drug resistance for wide distribution, conducting a Proficiency Testing program for molecular testing of malaria for researches in Asia and Africa, and leading a pooled analysis of 30 drug resistance studies to investigate the role of known polymorphisms in conferring clinically relevant resistance to current artemisinin-based antimalarial treatments. Her primary interest is in understanding the evolution and dynamics of drug resistance and using this knowledge to improve tools for surveillance and control.
Publications
Venkatesan, M., Amaratunga, C., Campino, S., Auburn, S., Koch, O., Lim, P., Uk, S., Socheat, D., Kwiatkowski, D.P., Fairhurst, R.M., Plowe, C.V. 2012. Using CF11 cellulose columns to inexpensively and effectively remove human DNA from Plasmodium falciparum-infected whole blood samples. Malar J. 11:41.
Mita, T., Venkatesan, M., Ohashi, J., Culleton, R., Takahashi, N., Tsukahara, T., Ndounga, M., Dysoley, L., Endo, H., Hombhanje, F., Ferreira, M.U., Plowe, C.V., and Tanabe, K. 2011. Limited geographical origin and global spread of sulfadoxine-resistant dhps alleles in Plasmodium falciparum populations. J Infect Dis. 204(12):1980-1988.
Frosch, A.E., Venkatesan, M. and Laufer, M.K. 2011. Patterns of chloroquine use and resistance in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of household survey and molecular data. Malar J. 10(1):116.
Venkatesan, M. and Rasgon, J. L. 2010. Population genetic data suggest a role for mosquito-mediated dispersal of West Nile virus across the western United States. Mol. Ecol. 19(8):1573-1584.
Venkatesan, M., Broman, K.W., Sellers, M. and Rasgon, J.L. 2009. An initial genetic linkage map of the West Nile virus vector Culex tarsalis. Insect Mol. Biol. 18(4):453-463.
Knight, R.L., Schultz, K. L. W., Kent, R. J., Venkatesan, M., Griffin, D. E. 2009. Role of N-linked glycosylation for Sindbis virus infection and replication in vertebrate and invertebrate systems. J. Virol. 83(11): 5640-7.
Venkatesan, M., Westbrook C.J., Hauer, M.C., Rasgon, J.L. 2007. Evidence for a population expansion in the West Nile virus vector Culex tarsalis. Mol. Biol. Evol. 24(5): 1208-1218.
Venkatesan, M., Hauer, M.C., Rasgon, J.L. 2007. Using fluorescently labeled M13-tailed primers to isolate 45 novel microsatellite loci from the arboviral vector Culex tarsalis. Med. Vet. Ent. 21(2): 204-208.
Rasgon, J.L., Venkatesan, M., Westbrook, C.J., Hauer, M.C. 2006. Polymorphic microsatellite loci from the West Nile virus vector Culex tarsalis. Mol. Ecol. Notes 6: 680-682.