Given the above, efficient, comprehensive and validated methods for monitoring drug resistance in advance of the development of resistance to the antimalarial drugs that are in use are urgently needed. Such methods would help malaria control and prevention programs in guiding national treatment recommendations and policies. Integrating laboratory expertise, analytic methods based on population genetics, and more traditional methods of surveillance for anti-malarial drug resistance (e.g. in vivo drug efficacy studies) and networking with national and international partners will result in a multidisciplinary, geographically diverse team approach to assessing and monitoring drug resistant malaria, as well as developing and validating molecular methods. This type of effort will greatly assist in maximizing the useful life span of antimalarial drugs and in providing evidence-based guidance for drug policy decisions.