Malaria
29 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsMalaria is an endemic disease in much of the world, and is a major contributor to child and infant mortality in many countries. Our malaria podcasts describe efforts by NDM clinicians and scientists, in Oxford and around the world, to treat and prevent malaria, including vaccine development, parasitology, and improved treatment for severe malaria, with the aim to lessen the disease burden on some of the world's most vulnerable people.
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Episodes
Mathematical modelling for tropical diseases
July 16, 2019 13:18 - 6 minutes - 72.8 MB VideoLisa White, Professor of Modelling and Epidemiology at our MORU unit in Thailand, tells us how we can use mathematical and economic modelling to better use limited resources to control or eradicate tropical diseases Mathematical modelling, particularly when combined with economical modelling, allows researchers and policy makers to determine the most effective interventions to fight infectious diseases such as malaria. We can use those models to explore ‘what ifs’ scenarios, at country or pro...
Curing Plasmodium vivax malaria
July 12, 2019 14:00 - 4 minutes - 47.9 MB VideoProfessor Ric Price, affiliated with our OUCRU unit, tells us of his research on surveillance, diagnostics and treatments for Plasmodium vivax malaria Vivax malaria used to be considered benign but is now recognised as an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Resistance to chloroquine (given to treat the parasite blood stage) is growing and ACT (artemisinin-based combination therapy) is becoming common treatment for vivax malaria. New drugs and better public health strategies can help e...
Genomics and global health
July 12, 2019 13:58 - 4 minutes - 39.5 MB VideoProfessor Olivo Miotto from our MORU programme in Bangkok, Thailand, tells us how genomics can help us improve global health Genomics is the study of the complete DNA sequence, for example of a particular parasite, allowing us to analyse its evolution and the impact of human interventions. Alongside clinical date, we use genomics to identify mutations that are markers for drug resistance. Mapping out drug resistance then helps inform elimination programmes.
Tracking antimalarial resistance and treatment of malaria using Triple ACTs
July 12, 2019 13:56 - 4 minutes - 40.7 MB VideoDr Rob van der Pluijm from MORU (Mahidol Oxford Research Unit) in Bangkok, Thailand, tells us about his work as project coordinator in mapping resistance to antimalarials Anti-malaria drug resistance is spreading throughout Southeast Asia and we need to find new treatments. Our researchers at MORU use a combination of artemisinin and two partner drugs instead of one. If confirmed safe and tolerable, triple artemisinin combination therapies might be a good option to treat multi-drug resistant ...
Blocking malaria transmission
July 12, 2019 13:54 - 3 minutes - 25.7 MB VideoDr Andrea Ruecker from MORU (Mahidol Oxford Research Unit) in Bangkok, Thailand, talks about possible interventions to block the transmission of falciparum malaria In the falciparum malaria parasite cycle, the gametocyte stages are responsible for the transmission from person to mosquito, then to other persons. A better understanding of how gametocytes respond to malaria treatments would help us block transmission and ultimately eliminate malaria.
Fighting malaria in Myanmar
July 12, 2019 13:52 - 4 minutes - 47.4 MB VideoProfessor Frank Smithuis from our MOCRU unit in Myanmar tells us about his research on malaria Although malaria is decreasing in Myanmar, resistance to anti-malarials is on the rise in the region and the focus is now to treat people early, particularly in remote communities. MOCRU has set up a network of community health workers, trained and supplied with diagnostics, bednets and treatments, to help improve access to healthcare as well as produce the evidence to encourage policy changes.
Primaquine and vivax malaria
July 12, 2019 13:49 - 3 minutes - 32.2 MB VideoDr James Watson from MORU in Bangkok, Thailand, tells us about his research in the biology of relapse in vivax malaria, as well as the development of statistical models to better understand the pharmacology of antimalarial drugs. Primaquine is a drug used to eliminate vivax malaria from the liver and prevent relapses. However, it causes anaemia in patients with G6PD deficiency. A new, slightly longer regimen with increasing doses of primaquine could allow to safely treat all patients with vi...
Using big data to eliminate malaria
July 12, 2019 13:46 - 3 minutes - 32.8 MB VideoDr Xin Hui Chan from MORU (Mahidol Oxford Research Unit) in Bangkok, Thailand, tells us about the use of big data in our efforts to eliminate malaria Malaria is the most important parasitic infection to still affect humans, and a safe use of antimalarial drugs is paramount. The current explosion of clinical data is causing a jungle of data; making sense of all this data will greatly help us in our fight to eliminate malaria.
Malaria elimination and mass drug administration
July 12, 2019 13:44 - 5 minutes - 42.8 MB VideoDr Tom Peto from MORU (Mahidol Oxford Research Unit) in Bangkok, Thailand, tells us how mass drug administration can help eliminate malaria Although malaria has greatly declined in Southeast Asia this century, treating clinical cases won’t be sufficient to eliminate it from the region. Mass drug administration allows to eliminate parasites from asymptomatic carriers, and careful engagement with whole communities is key.
Primaquine for vivax and falciparum malaria
July 12, 2019 13:40 - 6 minutes - 52.6 MB VideoDr Bob Taylor from MORU (Mahidol Oxford Research Unit) in Bangkok, Thailand, tells us about his research on malaria, and how we can use primaquine to treat vivax malaria and prevent the transmission of falciparum malaria Primaquine can be used both to treat vivax malaria and to prevent the transmission of falciparum malaria from human to mosquito. A shorter and age-based primaquine regimen would reduce the burden of vivax malaria. It would also allow primaquine to be used more widely to block...
115 years of malaria in Africa
October 11, 2017 11:56 - 17 minutes - 390 MB Video115 years of malaria data collected in Africa gives the most detailed picture yet of where efforts to control malaria infection are being won and lost across the continent. The largest data repository of any parasitic disease in the world, it includes 7.8 million blood samples from more than 30,000 locations in 43 countries. The dataset was collected and analysed by KEMRI-Wellcome Trust researchers based in Kenya, and is the result of over 20 years of research funded by Wellcome. The study sh...
Malaria control in Africa
April 12, 2017 11:53 - 4 minutes - 278 MB VideoProfessor Bob Snow from our KEMRI-Wellcome programme in Nairobi, Kenya, tells us how his research brings together epidemiological profiles and government policies to maximise malaria control programmes in Africa Quality data is vital to design better malaria control programmes. This project helps various African countries gather epidemiological evidence to better control malaria. Professor Bob Snow showed how sub-regional, evidence-based platforms can effectively change malaria treatment poli...
Malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong sub-region
April 12, 2017 11:48 - 5 minutes - 489 MB VideoDr Lorenz von Seidlein from our MORU unit in Bangkok, Thailand, tells us about his research on malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong sub-region Multidrug resistant P. falciparum malaria is now established in parts of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, causing high treatment failure rates for artemisinin combination therapies, the main falciparum malaria medicines. A further spread from Myanmar to India then sub-Saharan Africa would be a global public health disaster. TME seeks the best ways to ...
Optimising malaria treatment
December 14, 2016 16:43 - 6 minutes - 104 MB VideoDr Georgina Humphreys coordinates the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN) study groups by encouraging partner engagement and managing the data curation and development of publications. WWARN is a network of research that analyses pooled data of numerous clinical trials. The sheer size of those data sets allows study groups to answer questions that couldn't be asked of a normal size clinical trial, such as the efficacy of an anti-malarial drug on malnourished or severely anaemic ...
Finding the best malaria treatments
November 02, 2016 10:22 - 5 minutes - 74.4 MB VideoDr Mehul Dhorda heads the Asia Regional Centre of the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN). Artemisinin resistance is firmly established in many parts of Southeast Asia and threatens the lives of millions of people. To improve regional intelligence and aid containment efforts, Dr Dhorda promotes the collection of high quality data on malaria drug resistance. His research aims to simplify and harmonise data, securely store results and analyse comparative or collective pooled analy...
Malaria in Kenya
April 28, 2016 09:38 - 5 minutes - 67.8 MB VideoThere is a great need for better treatments for malaria and for a preventative malaria vaccine. SPACIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY & VACCINES Understanding the variation of malaria risk between houses, villages or region, and how malaria is transmitted in and around that variability helps develop better malaria control programmes and use their resources more wisely. Since malaria control tools are becoming less effective with time, progress in vaccine design is essential.
Malaria in pregnancy
February 04, 2016 10:50 - 7 minutes - 119 MB VideoIn pregnant women, severe malaria is responsible for high maternal mortality, and uncomplicated malaria results in in high morbidity. Professor Rose McGready works on the treatment and epidemiology of uncomplicated malaria in pregnancy. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable as pregnancy reduces the immunity to malaria, increasing the susceptibility to malaria infection and the risk of illness, severe anaemia and death. For the unborn child, maternal malaria increases the risk of spontane...
Sharing data to fight malaria
December 02, 2015 16:16 - 6 minutes - 90.1 MB VideoOver 250 Institutions participate in the effort of sharing data on the efficacy of antimalarial drugs, which involves standardising and re-analysing data. Professor Philippe Guérin is Director of the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN). The best lines of defence against malaria are avoidance of mosquito bites and effective drug therapy. WWARN tracks the emergence of antimalarial drug resistance to ensure that anyone affected by malaria receives effective and safe drug treatment.
Artemisinin Resistance
October 05, 2015 16:17 - 6 minutes - 115 MB VideoArtemisinins are very poweful tools in the treatment of malaria, and the emerging loss of their activity has the potential to create a major public health problem. MALARIA TREATMENT Dr Charlie Woodrow is based at MORU in Bangkok, Thailand, where he coordinates clinical and laboratory studies on resistance to artemisinins. Bringing together diverse datasets of clinical, in vitro and molecular data has helped better understand the emerging resistance, particularly in Myanmar.
Getting the dose right
July 28, 2015 15:35 - 7 minutes - 24.1 MB VideoToo high a dose can result in toxicity and side-effects, too low a dose can cause the illness to come back and at worse develop resistance. Professor Joel Tarning is Head of Clinical Pharmacology in our MORU Unit in Bangkok, Thailand. He's working towards drug dose-optimisation using novel pharmacometric modelling approaches. He is particularly interested in antimalarial treatments for children and pregnant women.
Between research and humanitarian
December 10, 2014 11:44 - 6 minutes - 22.3 MB VideoBetween research and humanitarian Professor François Nosten's work concentrates on infectious diseases at the Thai-Burma border. The main focus of his research is on malaria, especially malaria in pregnant women and emerging drug resistance of malaria parasites.
Artemisinin therapy for malaria by Professor Nick White
June 18, 2013 12:42 - 5 minutes - 44.1 MB VideoProfessor Nick White talks about the future of artemisinin and other drug therapies for malaria. Malaria kills more than half a million people every year. Following a number of groundbreaking clinical trials, Professor Nick White and his Thailand team successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of artemisinin drug therapy for malaria in adults, children and infants. He also pioneered artemisinin combination therapy, the first-line treatment for malaria worldwide.
Can we block malaria transmission
May 07, 2013 16:27 - 7 minutes - 62.4 MB VideoDr Sumi Biswas talks about the development of a vaccine aimed at the mosquito stage of the malaria parasite cycle. Malaria transmission-blocking vaccines aim to induce immunity against the parasites that infect mosquitoes. Such vaccines will prevent malaria transmission on a wider scale, focusing on the community rather than the individual. Dr Sumi Biswas is working on the development of transmission-blocking vaccines to prevent the spread of malaria.
Progress in Malaria Vaccine Research
September 11, 2012 11:55 - 6 minutes - 51.6 MB VideoDr Simon Draper tells us about his progress in malaria vaccine research. The malaria parasite is a 'master of disguise'. Whilst the development of a vaccine has proved difficult, targeting a pathway for the parasite has led to the neutralisation of all strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Dr Simon Draper's research interests include studies of vaccine-induced malaria immunity and trials of vaccine candidates. Focusing on translational medicine, his group will take their most promising vaccine ca...
Malaria vaccine for P. vivax
June 19, 2012 12:26 - 7 minutes - 55.4 MB VideoDr Arturo Reyes-Sandoval tells us about his research on a vaccine against Plasmodium vivax. Plasmodium vivax, one of the four malaria parasites that affect humans, is difficult to eradicate due to its ability to lay dormant in the liver for long periods of time. This parasite is found in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Western Pacific. 40 percent of the world's population is exposed to the disease that is responsible for around 130 to 350 million clinical cases every year. Dr Arturo Reyes...
The treatment of severe malaria
February 21, 2012 16:10 - 8 minutes - 63.1 MB VideoProfessor Arjen Dondorp tells us about his work on severe malaria and the development of new therapies. Current malaria therapies using artesunate aim to kill malaria parasites before they mature. Such medications have high success rates but need to be developed further. Based in Bangkok, Thailand, Professor Arjen Dondorp works on the pathophysiology and treatments of severe malaria, antimalarial drug resistance, and improvements in intensive care practice within developing countries.
Tropical Medicine in Kenya
July 19, 2011 10:49 - 3 minutes - 31.2 MB VideoProfessor Kevin Marsh tells us about his research on Tropical Medicine in Kenya. Professor Kevin Marsh has a broad research interest in child health in the tropics, with a particular focus on the immune epidemiology of malaria. Malaria remains a major world health problem, particularly among children in Africa. Based in Kenya, Professor Marsh is working on preventing and curing malaria in Africa. Professor Marsh is director of the KEMRI Wellcome Programme in Kenya; he also coordinates the mal...
Malaria and Global Health
November 02, 2010 10:31 - 7 minutes - 54 MB VideoDr Climent Casals-Pascual tells us how new tools can help us diagnose and manage malaria more effectively. In tropical countries, poor diagnosis of malaria often results in sub-optimal treatments. Clinical symptoms of severe malaria are similar to those of other diseases like pneumonia and meningitis. Dr Climent Casals-Pascual is researching the diagnosis and clinical management of severe malaria in tropical populations. Integrating proteomic, genomic and clinical data will help us explain di...
Malaria Vaccines
October 18, 2010 15:58 - 5 minutes - 38.4 MB VideoProfessor Adrian Hill talks about recent developments of vaccines against malaria. Around half of the world's population is at risk of contracting malaria. After studying malaria susceptibility in African children for many years, Professor Adrian Hill is now developing a vaccine against malaria by inducing cellular immune responses (T lymphocytes), instead of taking the more common research approach of stimulating antibodies. Prophylactic vaccines developed in Oxford are now showing great pro...