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Thailand and SE Asia’s first Pint of Science Festival kicked Pint-of-Science1 off on Mon 15 May with a look at Killer Bugs: Disease, Detection and Destruction and an enthusiastic reception from over 50 attendees that included scientists from MORU and other institutions, business people with a background in science and students.
Malaria & Critical illness
The Malaria & Critical Illness Department focuses on the diagnosis, patho-physiology, prevention, elimination, and treatment of malaria. A critical issue for the department is the emergence and spread of antimalarial drug resistance. In addition, our research has a focus on improving critical care in resource limited settings.
About MORU
The MORU Tropical Health Network, which hosts the ‘Thailand Wellcome Africa and Asia Programme’, conducts targeted clinical and public health research that aims to discover and develop appropriate, practical, affordable interventions that measurably improve the health of people living in resource-limited parts of the world.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The MORU Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) aims to increase participation and inclusivity for all staff and students, as well as recognize the value of diversity thereby creating fairer opportunities to fulfill everybody’s potential.
Bioethics and Engagement
MORU runs an active community and stakeholder engagement programme, aiming to improve health and wellbeing in low-resource settings. We work with underserved groups to ensure our research is ethical, inclusive, and responsive to local needs. Using community advisory boards, participatory projects, and interdisciplinary partnerships, we address complex global health issues such as antimicrobial resistance and tuberculosis. Our innovative methods—arts, co-creation, and community conversations—help build trust and support equitable health outcomes. We also conduct research into bioethics, data sharing, and effective engagement practices, contributing to best practice in community and public engagement across diverse, low-resource environments.
Research Areas
Patient-centred research is the core of our research activities, spanning 5 research units and over 50 research sites in Asia and Africa. Our integrated, highly collaborative, flexible structure of 5 research units and ~ 50 clinical research sites across Asia and Africa allows us to address global and regional health problems by conducting targeted clinical and public health research that discover and develop appropriate, practical, affordable interventions that measurably improve the health of people living in resource-limited parts of the world.
Celine Caillet: Detecting substandard and falsified medical products
The Medicine Quality Research Group focuses on substandard and falsified medicines, critical issues often overlooked in LMICs. Recent tragic incidents underscore the urgent need for better regulatory oversight. The group explores portable screening technologies to empower regulators in identifying and preventing such medicines, potentially mitigating widespread harm and economic strain on health systems.
Ben Cooper: Drug-resistant infections and disease dynamics
Infectious diseases carry a huge impact and developing interventions remains a priority. A recent trial in Southeast Asia aimed at shortening antibiotic treatment for ventilator-associated pneumonia, reducing side effects and the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Collaborations underline the global AMR burden and the need for effective solutions, from improved antibiotics use to novel diagnostics and vaccines, crucial amid rising challenges.
Bipin Adhikari: Community engagement for malaria elimination
Community engagement is important for ethical research, understanding community vulnerabilities and aligning priorities to bridge the gap between researchers and the communities they serve. MORU researchers focus on social aspects of infectious diseases, primarily malaria, with recent projects in Laos, Cambodia, Tanzania, and Bangladesh. Using a bottom-up approach helps addressing power imbalances for an authentic engagement.
Paul Turner: Improving data for infection management
The ACORN project gathers clinical, microbiology, and antibiotic use data from nine countries in Asia and Africa to understand the burden and impact of antibiotic resistance on patient treatment and outcomes. It aims to improve direct patient care, generate treatment guidelines, and inform interventions to combat antibiotic resistance globally, ensuring better antibiotics for all.
Carlo Perrone: Improving scrub typhus detection and prevention
In northern Thailand, MORU researchers focus on scrub typhus, a disease transmitted by small bugs in rural environments. A simple diagnostic cartridge for rapid detection would avoid critical delays and issues of current antibody-based tests. If accessible in small hospitals, this improved diagnostics has the potential to save lives by providing timely treatment. Involving local communities is essential to address the endemic nature of scrub typhus in rural areas.
Claire Chewapreecha: Melioidosis genomics
Genetic investigations into melioidosis, profiling both bacteria and patients, help understand disease acquisition and outcomes. Furthermore, identifying prevalent harmful bacterial genes supports vaccine development, and the development of CRISPR-Cas-based tests responds to an urgent need for rapid diagnosis that can reduce the detection time to under three hours with higher sensitivity. Applications developed in resource-limited settings show improved global applicability and impact on patients’ outcomes.
Stuart Blacksell: Risk-based approach to biosafety
In biosafety and biosecurity, the recent risk-based approach departs from a rigid one-size-fits-all model. Tailoring safety measures to pathogen and activity levels enhances flexibility, which is vital in resource-limited settings. Systematic reporting of lab incidents globally is lacking, hindering transparency and root cause analysis. Most accidents result from human or procedural errors, highlighting the need for investment in personnel training.
Direk Limmathurotsakul: AMR: local, national, global impact
To fight antimicrobial resistance, researchers at MORU utilise hospital data to assess global impact and guide interventions. By analysing data, they identify hospitals needing support which enables targeted interventions. Automation and simplification aid data utilization in low-middle-income countries. This approach, bridging implementation and epidemiological research, is crucial and has the potential to save many lives.
Nick White: Improving the treatment of infectious diseases
With nearly 50 years in malaria research and more recent focus on COVID-19, research at MORU led to more effective treatments. In COVID-19, trials debunked drugs like ivermectin or favipiravir, but validated remdesivir, molnupiravir and protease inhibitors. As malaria faces drug resistance, triple therapies offer hope. MORU research aims for tangible health impacts, with an approach applicable to other infectious diseases.
Naomi Waithira: Data, science and health
MORU Data Management focuses on tropical infectious diseases, gathering data from diverse sources like patient interviews, medical records and laboratory results. This data, stripped of identifying information, is organized for analysis. Past clinical data aids new insights, augmented by mathematical modelling and AI. MORU aims to improve healthcare by leveraging technology for accurate, impactful solutions.