A collection of ‘Five Minutes’ and ‘Hot Topics’ interviews.
Topics:
All, Academia, Africa, Charity, Diagnosis, Drug Safety, Drug Safety, Education, Entrepreneurship, Equality, Funding, Larvicides, Medicine, Mosquito Nets, New Technologies, Politics, Research & Development
An interview with Dr Melanie Renshaw, Chief Policy Officer of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, to discuss progress against malaria, the funding gap and how access to core malaria interventions will be maintained during the COVID pandemic.
An interview with Dr Ashley Birkett, Director of PATH’s Malaria Vaccine Initiative. We discuss RTS,S and the global health challenges surrounding it, in terms of vaccine adherence and hesitancy.
Bednets play an important role in fighting malaria. I speak with Paul Krezanoski about the unreliable mechanisms of monitoring bednet usage and his high-tech solution, the SmartNet.
The Matiscope is a non-invasive, bloodless method of malaria diagnosis. I speak with Brian Gitta, a Ugandan IT Specialist, who developed the technology
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.
To take a look at where we are in the fight against malaria, I’m joined by Michal Fishman of Malaria No More. She’s co-chairs RBM’s Strategic Communications Partner Committee, which brings together organisations to reduce the malaria burden.
In 2018, leaders of the Commonwealth countries pledged to reduce malaria cases by half by 2023. One year on, what has been done to try and achieve that aim? Malaria No More held a panel in London to try and answer that very question.
Malaria No More has just launched a petition, with David Beckham as its figurehead. The petition aims to get the attention of world leaders ahead of critical funding decisions for The Global Fund.
The Mobile Malaria team have just set off on a 6,000 km journey across Africa, taking portable DNA sequencing technology with them on the road. I speak with Dr George Busby who leads the team.
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.