Entomological Progress Underway in DRC

This week’s Fist Bump Friday is dedicated to the VectorLink DRC team for their work to improve the quality of molecular entomology data in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In recent years, VL DRC has worked closely with the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in Kinshasa to conduct entomological research. When the 2016 annual report showed that the proportion of An. gambiae/coluzzii hybrids detected was very high (32%

), they realized this discrepancy was due to issues with the quality control of molecular data. The VectorLink DRC team was determined to improve the quality of data.

The following year, laboratory technicians attended a regional training in Benin to build the capacity of both INRB and VectorLink technicians. While building the capacity of local technicians is impressive, the VL DRC team did not stop there. A continued challenge in the lab has always been a lack of workspace. The INRB molecular biology lab is very small and is shared by all disease programs. The crowded laboratory was not conducive to conducting efficient, accurate and timely laboratory analysis.

By transforming the existing space at the INRB entomological unit into a new molecular laboratory dedicated to entomology, the team was able to conduct more efficient testing for more accurate results and data. The team went on to purchase brand new equipment for the new space including a water bath, Eppendorf centrifuge, compact drying oven, pH meter, vortex, PCR workstation, microplate reader, and more. The new entomology laboratory is now fully fitted and functional! Starting this year, all project analysis has performed in the new laboratory space

Kudos to the PMI VectorLink DRC team!