# Integrating human mobility and pathogen genomics to understand dengue dynamics

> **NIH NIH R21** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $270,292

## Abstract

The spatial dynamics of arbovirus transmission are a complex function of the pathogen, the environment,
vector populations, and humans. Dengue (DENV), a mosquito-borne arbovirus, has seen a rapid global spread
and a dramatic growth in incidence with an estimated 390 million infections per year. In many cases, the
drivers of this spread are unclear. On fine spatial scales, human movement defines spatial patterns of dengue
incidence and exposure risk. Predicting the spatial and temporal patterns of dengue transmission therefore
requires quantifying human mobility patterns. Here, we will focus on DENV in Sri Lanka as a case study for the
integration of multiple sources of human mobility data with epidemiologic and phylogenetic data. In the
proposed study, we will use a wealth of existing data and will collect unique, linked mobility and genomic data
from the primary DHF referral hospital in Sri Lanka to predict the spatial dynamics from the human population
(travel data) and virus (viral genomics). Through a prospective study based at a referral hospital in Negombo,
Sri Lanka, we will collect mobility (travel survey and GPS loggers) and viral genomes from DENV positive
patients. These data will be used to characterize individual travel patterns that will be used to statistically
identify the risk of DENV infection at different locations. We will compare these results with population-level
mobility patterns from mobile phone calling records in a model of DENV informed by national incidence data.
We will pair this analysis with a phylogenetic analysis of whole genome sequenced DENV viral genomes to
identify spatial transmission chains and the geographic relatedness between transmission pairs. Using the
genomic information, we will identify the utility of travel and epidemiological data to risk factors related to
spatial transmission.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9956061
- **Project number:** 1R21AI151750-01
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lauren Gardner
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $270,292
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-16 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9956061

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9956061, Integrating human mobility and pathogen genomics to understand dengue dynamics (1R21AI151750-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9956061. Licensed CC0.

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