On 24-26 Feb 2025, Paul Newton, Head of MORU\u2019s Medicine Quality Research Group (MQRG), and MQRG Deputy Head C\u00e9line Caillet presented work by the MQRG at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and WHO meeting, Strategic and Tactical Interventions to Address Medical Products-Related Crimes.
After more than a year of community engagement and preparation in 100 villages with 12,000 populations across the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the mass malaria vaccine (R21/Matrix M) and drug (DHA, piperaquine, and single low dose primaquine) administration study started on 15 Feb.
Researchers at MORU's Medicine Quality Research Group (MQRG), University of Oxford and collaborators, including the Serum Institute of India, have published an innovative method to identify falsified vaccines without opening the vaccine vial.
In Myanmar, the United Nations reports that 3 million people have been displaced due to the ongoing civil war. The 2021 coup intensified conflicts and worsened the humanitarian crisis, forcing at least a hundred thousand to seek refuge and medical care in Thailand. The Tak province, a key crossing point between the two countries, sees a rising number of new migrants (with 40% of women) crossing the border every day. In response to this health emergency caused by these large-scale forced displacements, the SMRU and M-FUND projects have concentrated their efforts along the border area.
A new study has found methaemoglobin levels during treatment for vivax malaria could be used to predict whether a patient would have recurrent malaria.
A participatory-action approach involving community members and adolescents resulted in a dialogue-drama on adolescent pregnancy, contraception, and choice in the event of an unplanned pregnancy. The dialogue-drama augmented discussion of traditionally taboo issues and this ethnographic method is potentially useful for similar global health settings.
Dr Gesa Gnegel and Dr C\u00e9line Caillet were invited to present their current work during a session at the World Health Summit. This international forum and leading global health conference brings together stakeholders from politics, science, the private sector, and civil society. The aim of this event that took place in Berlin from the 13th to the 15th of October 2024 is \u2018to set the agenda for a healthier future by inspiring innovative solutions for better health and well-being for all\u2019.
From 24-26 Sept, the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN) Vivax Working Group (VxWG) and Surveillance & Response Working Group (SRWG) held their 2024 Joint Annual Meeting in Kuching, Malaysia. Co-organized by SRWG and VxWG host institutions MORU and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), the event took place immediately following the 2024 International Congress for Tropical Medicine and Malaria (ICTMM).
Dr Chewapreecha, a Wellcome International Intermediate Fellow and computational biologist at NDM's Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, has been announced as the Individual Winner at this year\u2019s Inspiring Women in Science Awards hosted by Nature and The Est\u00e9e Lauder Companies. She was honoured at a ceremony in London on 31 October.
Experts from across Europe joined forces to discuss research on substandard and falsified medical products and how to translate the evidence into policy and implementation. Over forty participants from various countries around the world, all based in Europe, including the UK, Sweden, France, Germany and Belgium, joined the in-person informal event at the Richard Doll Building, in Oxford, on the 24th of October.
On 10 Oct in London, the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) awarded MORU\u2019s Prof Lorenz von Seidlein (centre) the Donald Mackay Medal for outstanding work in tropical health, especially relating to improvements in the health of rural or urban workers in the tropics.
The MORU-OUCRU Discovery Research Academy (MODRA) recently concluded its inaugural workshop in Bangkok. This intensive five-day programme equipped 15 promising postdoctoral researchers with the skills required to complete a high-quality seed proposal.
A new study which will help inform World Health Organization guidelines for treating children with Plasmodium vivax malaria has found that giving children higher doses of primaquine substantially reduced recurrences of malaria.
From 4-6 Sept, nearly 40 Forensic Epidemiology and impact of Substandard and Falsified Antimicrobials (FORESFA) project collaborators from 10 different countries met at Jesus College, Oxford, to share updates and make final year plans.
Four years after being derailed by scientific fraud and politicised science in the first year of the pandemic, COPCOV, the world\u2019s largest COVID-19 chemoprevention study, finally published results today that showed that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) does have a moderate benefit in preventing COVID-19.
We are delighted to announce that four MORU Tropical Health Network researchers were among 10 NDM researchers recently awarded the title of Professor, in recognition of their research achievements, and contribution to teaching and to the general work of the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, in the most recent recognition of distinction process.
A team from the University of Oxford and MORU have developed a first of its kind mass spectrometry method for vaccine authenticity screening using machine learning. The method repurposes clinical mass spectrometers already present in hospitals worldwide, making the approach feasible for global supply chain monitoring. The discovery offers an effective solution to the rise in substandard and counterfeit vaccines threatening public health.
The Malariaworld exhibition was developed in conjunction with World Malaria Day 2024 to raise awareness of malaria and malaria research, and to highlight some of our contributions to malaria research. You can now visit our virtual exhibition!
The efficacy of artemisinin derivatives, the cornerstone of current treatments for malaria, is being compromised in Africa where over 1,000 children are estimated to die each day from the disease. The spread of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites across East Africa and beyond could result in millions more deaths without immediate health policy changes, warn experts in a paper published in Science.
The MORU \u2013 OUCRU Discovery Research Academy (MODRA) is thrilled to announce the selection of its first cohort of the programme. The MORU \u2013 OUCRU Discovery Research Academy (MODRA), funded by Wellcome, is a collaborative initiative by the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) and the Madihol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) to nurture the next generation of scientific leaders in low- and middle-income (LMICs) countries of South Asia.
Genital herpes infections and their related complications lead to billions of dollars in health care expenditures and productivity losses globally, say researchers who calculated the first-ever global estimates of the economic costs of these conditions.
The King's Birthday Honours 2024 Lists have been published, marking the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the UK, including two researchers from MORU who have both been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Children\u2019s Health in Cambodia and Thailand.
Running continuously since Sept 2021, the PLATCOV trial has randomised over 1700 patients presenting with COVID19 infections. Work by PLATCOV\u2019s Dr Phrutsamon Wongnak published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases has shown that rates of oropharyngeal viral clearance have accelerated dramatically since the trial started: A SARS CoV2 viral clearance half-life in untreated patients of around 16 hours In Sept 2021 had reduced to around 9 hours by Oct 2023. The results highlight the importance of pharmacometric platform trials like PLATCOV, so that we are prepared for the next pandemic.
In April 2024, the Head of MAEMOD, Wirichada (Pan) Pan-ngum was awarded the title of Associate Professor at the University of Oxford in recognition of her contributions to research, teaching and administration/citizenship at Oxford and beyond. Please join us in extending your heartiest congratulations to Pan for this significant honour and recognition of academic achievement. Well done, Pan!
Experts from across the globe joined forces to discuss how screening technologies can be improved so they can be more widely used to detect substandard and falsified medical products.
A new study, led by researchers at the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO) and the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) at NDM, found that a large number of national guidelines recommend at least one treatment proven not to work.
Global Health research at the University of Oxford and its partners is broad reaching, bringing significant impact across all academic disciplines of medicine, the physical and life sciences, social sciences and humanities. The Diagnostics in Tropical and Infectious Disease (DiTi) award, run by the Translational Research Office, aims to strengthen the long-term partnership between Oxford University and Mahidol University by establishing partnerships and supporting collaborative projects to develop diagnostic devices for tropical and infectious diseases, with the goal of driving more translational research initiatives in global health. \r\nRead this interview from award winner Dr Chris Chew.
An updated systematic search and review of published information from over 4,000 malaria samples has identified areas in central, eastern and north-eastern India where treatment-resistant malaria parasites could be more prevalent.
New research by the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, explores the potential benefits of a presumptive lateral flow rapid diagnostic test in managing acute non-malarial febrile illness (NMFI) patient care in rural areas of Southeast Asia.
Researchers have found that a new test using a CRISPR-Cas12a system (CRISPR-BP34) diagnosed patients with melioidosis, an often-fatal tropical disease caused by the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei, within hours, rather than days as in current bacterial culture methods, so patients could receive the correct, life-saving antibiotics faster.
An analysis of over 11,000 falciparum malaria individual patient data sets has found that acutely malnourished children have a higher risk of reinfections and treatment failures, even when treated with recommended doses of artemisinin-based combination therapies, currently the best malaria treatment available. The malaria parasite clearance was also likely to be longer in these children.
New work from the Medicine Quality Group at IDDO and MORU pilots the use of stable isotope mass spectrometry to estimate where falsified antimalarials and their components come from. The study, published in Scientific Reports, is a collaboration between the Medicine Quality Research Group, LOMWRU, and MORU Bangkok, working with stable isotope scientists in Utah, USA.
Researchers have found that widely available rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), typically used for common infections, can be repurposed to detect substandard and falsified (SF) vaccines, a significant but overlooked issue in global public health. Preliminary data suggests RDTs could be utilized by international organizations and regulators to screen vaccine supply chains for falsified products. This innovative approach addresses the urgent need for affordable tools to combat the threat of SF vaccines.
Findings reveal resistance patterns for a priority pathogen--also known as typhoid fever--with high mortality and morbidity in resource-constrained settings
MORU' and IDDO\u2019s Medicine Quality Research Group (MQRG) have written a chapter in a new book which examines the global issue of substandard and falsified medical products.
The FORESFA project's laboratory group met for a workshop in Trentino, Italy, with participants from Oxford, Edinburgh, London, and Vienna. The workshop focused on advancing the analysis of simulated samples, which are crucial to developing forensic techniques to analyse falsified medical products. Challenges in data integration, collaboration with external experts, and a workflow for the first pilot analysis of falsified samples were discussed.
A recent study by the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) at NDM outlined a highly effective method for dengue surveillance. The researchers improved risk detection in real time by combining space-time modelling and anomaly detection. This will help in making dengue prevention more effective not only in Thailand but also in other regions with similar challenges.
Giving high oral doses of the anti-influenza drug Favipiravir to adults with early symptomatic COVID-19 treatment did not accelerate viral clearance, say researchers in a study published in BMC Infectious Diseases. In fact, there was no difference in the rate of viral clearance between patients given favipiravir and patients receiving no study drug.
Although Nipah virus gets increasing attention in epidemic preparedness, there has been almost no bioethical work on the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. Further work on public health ethics should address communication about the modes of transmission, surveillance, measures during epidemics, and social or religious norms, as well as potential vaccine trials and the different local contexts where trials may occur, and the use of unproven therapeutics during outbreaks. Further bioethics work may help to ensure that research and public health interventions for Nipah virus disease are ethically acceptable and more likely to be effective.
![\"Paul](\"https://www.tropmedres.ac/news/innovative-forensics-to-identify-origins-of-falsified-medicines-presented-to-unodc-and-who/responsive_image?ratio=r16x9&scale=w760\")
\n \n \n\n\n