Since September 2025, Ines Ngoh has been working at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) in the United Kingdom as part of the EMBL-UNESCO Residency in Infection Biology Research. A programme for PhD graduates which promotes equality, diversity and inclusiveness in science, notably by fostering the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science adopted in November 2021, the UNESCO Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers adopted in November 2017 and EMBL’s Molecules to Ecosystems programme, which runs from 2022 to 2026.
Ines’ journey into public health began as a high-school health prefect and graduate laboratory intern in Cameroon. There, she experienced first-hand how small actions such as promoting personal hygiene and clean surroundings could prevent illness in entire communities.
During her PhD, Ines studied how the genetic fingerprint of Malaria parasite tells a story of how parasites disguise, resist drugs or persist in certain populations.
Living in a malaria-endemic area, I remain driven to translate these insights into smarter, more effective interventions.
The EMBL-UNESCO Residency opened new doors for her, including a chance to collaborate with malaria experts, hence expanding her network.
Potential approaches to prevent and cure malaria
Ines’ research takes a multidisciplinary approach to understand the spread, evolution, and molecular interaction of the malaria parasite with the human host across Cameroon's diverse ecological settings. Her findings show how differences in transmission intensity across ecological gradients shape parasite genetics and treatment outcomes.
By mapping how parasite populations are connected, her work reveals whether infections spread is linked to human migration. This is a critical insight for designing effective elimination strategies.
My work also identifies when and where parasites develop resistance and immune evasion which are critical for informing targeted intervention strategies. Beyond surveillance, my work on parasite-host molecular interactions reveals new therapeutic strategies that can outsmart parasites.
Local research, global solutions
To Ines, Cameroon is not just a research site but a reflection of the global malaria landscape. Cameroon’s rich ecological diversity ranges from low transmission highland and sahel zones to high transmission rainforest and savannah zones mirror conditions across Africa and beyond. Infected people tend to harbor a disproportionate distribution of multiple genetically distinct parasites, which complicate treatment and immunity.
Studying how parasites adapt to these diverse environments provides lessons with global significance, especially as climate change is shifting malaria transmission and disease dynamics in many countries.
EMBL–UNESCO fellowship: From theory to practice and strong collaborations
From learning how to build bioinformatic analysis workflows to data visualization methods tailored to specific-omics datasets from Cameroon, the EMBL-UNESCO fellowship has allowed Ines to turn her theoretical work and data into actionable insights.
It also gave her the opportunity to create a strong research network, acknowledging that her work and that of her female counterparts in the region is contributing to global science, improving lives in Cameroon, the African continent and beyond.
I plan to leave EMBL-EBI and the UK with established research networks that will enable sustainable scientific collaboration with my institution, ensuring knowledge and resources flow bidirectionally.
