The serological test finds the evidence even when the disease hides
In the long human struggle against malaria, a PhD researcher named Jhobert Bernal is working at the intersection of field and laboratory, community and science, to help the Philippines reach a goal that once seemed distant: elimination by 2030. Through the SMART project — a collaboration spanning Australia, the Philippines, and the United States — he is developing serological tools that detect the immune traces of a malaria species that conventional methods routinely miss. His work is a reminder that the final miles of disease elimination are often the hardest, and that reaching them requires both technological ingenuity and the slow, patient work of earning trust.
- Plasmodium malariae, a lesser-known malaria variant, evades standard detection and continues to circulate in Philippine communities even as the country approaches elimination — making it a quiet but serious obstacle to the 2030 target.
- Traditional diagnostic methods fail precisely when they are needed most: in low-prevalence settings where cases are rare, infections may be long past, and active parasites have already cleared from the blood.
- Serological testing changes the equation by reading the immune system's memory — detecting antibodies left behind by past infections — allowing researchers to map residual transmission in communities that would otherwise appear malaria-free.
- Bernal's fieldwork was complicated by pandemic travel restrictions and deep community mistrust, including fears that researchers were connected to COVID vaccination drives, demanding careful relationship-building before meaningful data could be gathered.
- Backed by mentors at WEHI and a three-institution research framework, Bernal is translating blood samples from remote Philippine communities into surveillance intelligence that could reshape how the world approaches malaria elimination in its final stages.
Jhobert Bernal begins each day thinking about the families he has met in Philippine communities where malaria still quietly circulates — people living at the edge of a disease the country is trying to leave behind for good. As a PhD student at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, he is focused on Plasmodium malariae, a less common malaria species that routinely slips past conventional diagnostic tools and complicates the Philippines' goal of full elimination by 2030.
The vehicle for this work is the SMART project — Serological Markers for Residual malaria Transmission — a collaboration between WEHI, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in the Philippines, and the University of South Florida. Bernal's role moves between two worlds: collecting blood samples and building relationships in affected communities, then returning to WEHI to process and interpret the data those samples contain.
What distinguishes serological detection is its ability to find evidence of malaria long after the infection itself has cleared. Rather than searching for active parasites, it identifies the antibodies the immune system produces in response to exposure — biological fingerprints that persist for months or years. In populations close to elimination, where active cases are increasingly rare, this approach offers a way to see transmission that would otherwise remain invisible and untargeted.
The path has not been easy. Pandemic restrictions disrupted fieldwork, and in some communities — including Indigenous populations — researchers were met with suspicion, with residents fearing links to COVID vaccination campaigns. Earning trust required time and careful communication. Bernal credits his WEHI mentors, Dr Rhea Longley, Professor Wai-Hong Tham, and Professor Ivo Mueller, with helping him navigate both the scientific and human complexities of the project.
What sustains him, he says, is the direct line between the work and its consequences. Better detection tools mean more precise interventions, and more precise interventions mean that elimination, when it comes, is more likely to hold. As 2030 approaches, the serological methods being refined through SMART may prove essential — not just for the Philippines, but for every country trying to cross the final threshold of a disease that has shaped human history for millennia.
Jhobert Bernal wakes up thinking about the people he's met in the Philippines—families living in areas where malaria still circulates, even as the country pushes toward elimination. As a PhD student at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, he's part of an international effort to find and stop a malaria species that most people have never heard of: Plasmodium malariae, a less common variant that slips past conventional detection methods.
The project is called SMART—Serological Markers for Residual malaria Transmission—and it's a three-way collaboration between WEHI in Australia, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in the Philippines, and the University of South Florida, funded by an NHMRC e-ASIA Joint Research Program grant. The goal is straightforward but ambitious: eliminate malaria from the Philippines by 2030. Bernal's role straddles two worlds. Much of his time is spent in the field, collecting blood samples and talking to people in communities where the disease persists. Back at WEHI, he processes those samples and helps make sense of the data they reveal.
What makes serological detection different—and what excites Bernal about the work—is that it doesn't require finding active parasites in someone's blood. Instead, it looks for antibodies or antigens, the immune system's fingerprints left behind after exposure to malaria. This matters enormously in places approaching elimination, where cases become rare and harder to spot through traditional methods. A person might have been infected months or years ago, recovered, and now carries no active parasites—but the serological test still finds the evidence. That signal becomes crucial for public health programs trying to understand where transmission is still happening, even at low levels, so they can target their efforts precisely.
The work has not been straightforward. During the pandemic, Bernal faced travel restrictions that complicated fieldwork in the Philippines. More subtly, he encountered communities—including Indigenous populations—who were wary of the research team's presence, some worried that the researchers were involved in COVID vaccination campaigns. Managing a research project under those conditions, while trying to build trust and gather meaningful data, required patience and careful communication.
Bernal credits his mentors at WEHI—Dr Rhea Longley, Professor Wai-Hong Tham, and Professor Ivo Mueller—with helping him navigate those challenges. Despite their own demanding schedules, they made time to offer guidance and share their expertise. He describes the institute itself as a place where collaboration isn't just encouraged but embedded in the culture. The laboratories are well-equipped with both standard instruments and cutting-edge technology, the kind of infrastructure that allows researchers to work at the highest standard and produce reliable results.
What keeps him going, Bernal says, is the knowledge that the work translates into real change for real people. He's spent enough time in the field to see how diseases shape lives, and he's seen enough in the lab to believe that better detection tools can help break that cycle. The serological approach offers something new: a way to monitor and surveil malaria in populations that are close to beating it entirely. As the Philippines moves toward 2030, that capability could mean the difference between elimination that sticks and malaria that finds its way back.
Citações Notáveis
The potential to make a real difference in people's lives is what gets me out of bed in the morning— Jhobert Bernal, PhD student
Serological monitoring can identify residual malaria transmission in areas close to elimination and guide public health programs— Jhobert Bernal, describing the SMART project's approach
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a rare malaria species matter if it's less common? Shouldn't the focus be on the bigger killers?
That's the trap. Plasmodium malariae is less common, but in areas approaching elimination, even rare cases matter enormously. If you miss them, transmission can restart. You're trying to finish the job, not just reduce it.
So the serological test is basically looking for evidence of past infection, not current disease?
Exactly. It's like finding fingerprints at a crime scene weeks after the crime happened. The person might be fine now, but the test tells you they were exposed—and that tells you where transmission is still happening.
You mentioned Indigenous communities were hesitant. How do you rebuild trust in that situation?
You listen. You explain what you're actually doing, not what people fear you're doing. You show up consistently, you respect their concerns, and you make clear that the research is for them, not to them.
What's the difference between this work and what malaria researchers were doing ten years ago?
Detection. Ten years ago, you'd miss most of these cases entirely. Now you can see the signal even when it's faint. That changes everything about how you eliminate a disease.
If the Philippines hits elimination by 2030, what happens to your research?
The methods don't disappear. Other countries will need them. And malaria doesn't stay eliminated without surveillance. The work shifts, but it doesn't end.