About
Dr Qin Cheng studied medicine, then completed Masters and a PhD in 1993 at the University of Queensland. She conducted biomedical research on malaria parasites and vaccines at QIMR Berghofer prior to 1998. Since 1998 Dr Cheng has been Head of the Drug Resistance and Diagnostics Department at the Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute (formerly Australian Army Malaria Institute, AMI). She has been a Visiting Scientist at QIMR Berghofer since 1998 and was Adjunct Head of Malaria Drug Resistance and Chemotherapy Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer between 2000 and 2010. In 2016 she was appointed as Honorary Group Leader, Head of the Army Malaria Institute Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer. Dr Cheng had an adjunct appointment as Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Queensland between 2004 and 2015. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of Tropical Medicine, Dr Cheng was bestowed The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Distinguished International Fellow in 2021.
Area of Interest
Dr Cheng’s research focuses on investigating biological and molecular changes that enable malaria parasites to escape diagnostic detection or anti-malarial drug treatment, their epidemiology, evolution and impact to global and Defence health. Her laboratory identified mutant parasites that cause malaria rapid diagnostic test failure, and investigated mechanisms and evolution of drug resistance in malaria parasites. Over the years, her lab has made significant contributions to elucidating mechanisms of chloroquine, atovaqone, pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine resistance in malaria parasites. In recent years, her laboratory investigated artemisinin-induced dormancy and artemisinin treatment failure. It has also conducted operational research including molecular epidemiology and surveillance of malaria in collaboration with country Ministries of Health, NGOs and the WHO. The outcomes inform country health policies and significantly improved diagnosis and treatment of malaria.