Interviews with Malaria Stakeholders
Topics:
All, Africa, Politics, Funding, Education, Mosquito Nets, Equality, Entrepreneurship, Charity, Academia, Medicine, Diagnosis, Larvicides, Drug Safety, Research & Development, New Technologies
A new study has found that fungus, genetically enhanced to produce spider toxin, can kill a large-number of malaria-carrying mosquitos. I speak with Brian Lovett, who is one of the authors of the paper.
Creating reference genomes for mosquitos is a challenge. But now, in a partnership between the Sanger Institute and PacBio, it can be made with just 100 nanograms of DNA.
I’m joined by Dr Mark Amos to discuss the accuracy of malaria diagnostic tools. How do RDTs compare to traditional lab testing?
Target Malaria is a consortium of researchers using ‘gene drives’ to fight malaria. I speak with Dr Alekos Simoni, one of their researchers based at Imperial College London.
Professor Marcia Castro from Harvard University helped launch MalariaX. It’s an online course that details the science and technology of malaria, as well as the historical, political, social and economic factors to its eradication.
Michelle Stanton is trying to reduce malaria deaths by better understanding where mosquito breeding spots are. She’s using the power of drones to capture aerial imagery in Malawi’s drone corridor – a patch of land devoted to humanitarian drone testing.
Live from Durham University, I speak with Professor Steve Lindsay. His research in developing a new type of mosquito net has hit the headlines, being described as ‘revolutionary’, with the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives.
We’re joined by Professor Archie Clements who is Pro Vice-Chancellor of Health Sciences at Curtin University, Australia. He shares his views on the Malaria World Congress that took place in Melbourne earlier this year, and on the FDA’s approval of Tafenoquine.
Since the story broke of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, there’s been an increase in feminism, with the MeToo movement demanding equality. Elena and Joanne have created a website called ‘Women in Malaria’, it acts as a platform for women working in malaria research.
Dr Michelle Wykes runs the Molecular Immunology unit at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and has been focusing on trying to improve the immune system’s response to a malaria infection. We discuss her recent work in malaria research which has been hailed as a breakthrough.