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Research Roundup: Lab on wheels could improve outbreak response, new chemical formulation for bednets shows promise, and experimental HIV vaccine elicits broadly neutralizing antibodies

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PATH/Dan Chang

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

November 25, 2019 by Ansley Kahn

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US-based company Integrum Scientific has developed a “lab on wheels” that developers say could greatly improve the response to disease outbreaks and epidemics. The vehicle is equipped with everything onboard needed to rapidly diagnose patients or carry out research studies and can be transported to outbreak areas by plane and driven to even the most remote locations. The mobile lab can be outfitted as a biosafety level 2 or 3 lab, comes with almost ten meters of lab bench space, has an -80 degree Celsius freezer, satellite communication, and two generators that can run on “dirty” diesel fuel commonly found in African countries. It is also built for traversing unpaved, muddy roads and is equipped with a reinforced door and security system. The first vehicle may soon be tested in Uganda. A prototype was parked outside the annual conference of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene this past week.

A major trial in Uganda that used a new chemical entity in bednets has shown promising results, offering hope for an alternative solution as mosquitoes have grown increasingly resistant to pyrethroid, a chemical commonly used in long-lasting insecticide treated bednets. Researchers found that though pyrethroid-treated bednets continued to be effective, households given bednets with a combination of pyrethroid and the chemical piperonyl butoxide experienced 27 percent fewer cases of malaria among children ages two to ten. These households also had 80 percent fewer malaria-carrying mosquitoes. This combination bednet formula received a conditional recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017, and its Vector Control Advisory Group is expected to make another assessment in 2020 to determine whether to provide a full recommendation for the intervention. WHO reports have shown stagnation in global progress against malaria in recent years, which coincides with increasing concerns about the impact of pyrethroid resistance on anti-malaria efforts.

An experimental HIV vaccine developed by Scripps Research and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative elicited antibodies that can neutralize a wide variety of HIV strains in early animal studies. The test, in rabbits, showed that these “broadly neutralizing” antibodies targeted at least two critical sites on the virus. These results offer a proof of principle, as researchers widely assume a vaccine must elicit these antibodies to multiple sites on HIV to provide protection against a constantly evolving virus. The research team continue to test and improve their vaccine strategy in small animal models and hope to eventually test the vaccine in monkeys and then humans. According to UNAIDS, approximately 35 million people worldwide have died from AIDS and about 38 million others are now living with HIV infection.

Categories: Ebola, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Vaccines, WHO

About the author

Ansley KahnGHTC

Ansley Kahn is a senior program assistant at GHTC who supports GHTC's communications and member engagement activities.

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November 25, 2019

Faces of Innovation: Dr. Mohammad Nuhu Amin, researcher at icddr,b

Written by Julien Rashid / GHTC
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Faces of Innovation—a new GHTC project that features scientists on the front lines of research and development on new global health tools and technologies—profiles Dr. Mohammad Nuhu Amin, who we met at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Conference. Dr. Amin researches sanitation and diarrheal diseases with support from the United States Agency for International Development.My name: Nuhu Amin BDS, MPH, HSCWhere I work: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh (icddr,b) I’m funded by: US Agency for International Development My research: My primary goal is to do interventions to reduce diarrhea and cholera in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in the urban communities of Dhaka. I’ve worked at icddr,b for the last ten years, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with lots of US universities. Currently I’m working with Stanford University with Professor of Medicine Dr. Stephen Luby on a Rohingya distribution impact assessment. I’m also working on another project with Emory University on a fecal pathogen exposure assessment. And our team is doing a different project with Emory University in collaboration with the University of Sydney to track the sanitation chain to detect pathogens, like norovirus, salmonella, shigella, and cholera, that cause diarrhea. We have previously also collaborated with Johns Hopkins University and we have lots of colleagues who work with Oregon University and other state universities in the United States.Motivation: I am a medical graduate, and I’ve had lots of patients with different problems including diarrhea and other infectious diseases. Bangladesh is a tropical country, so infectious disease rates are really high. This motivates me to not only focus on treatment, but to do the research to remove and prevent these diseases.Why US federal support is critical: USAID is one of our four core donors. They have been funding us for more than 50 years to support the research of our institute. I think the contribution of the US government is important for this research and development. When I’m not in the lab: I’m also a dental surgeon, so I have a clinic. Every day, for two or three hours, I treat patients and particularly patients who are poor. Dental health treatment is expensive, so I aim to serve my patients at a low-price. I have two kids as well, so I spend my time with them—they’re very inspiring for me. In addition, I love to travel to different countries. This year I traveled to almost four countries including Swaziland, South Africa, and India. I love to meet with other people around the world—that’s my hobby. 
November 22, 2019

Faces of Innovation: Dr. Christine Petersen, researcher at University of Iowa

Written by Ansley Kahn / GHTC
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Faces of Innovation—a new GHTC project that features scientists on the front lines of research and development on new global health tools and technologies—profiles Dr. Christine Petersen, who we met at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Conference, who researches how infectious diseases transmit between animals and people at the University of Iowa.My Name: Christine Petersen, DVM, PhD.Where I work: Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. I’m funded by: National Institutes of Health. My research: My work is funded by the National Institutes of Health to help figure out how infectious diseases transmit between animals and people. As someone who lives in Iowa, where there’s six pigs for every person, it’s critical to understand those interactions between animals and people. Infectious diseases can be everything from the flu that we all get our shots for to parasitic diseases, like malaria, that affect anybody who travels and goes to places for work or for play.Motivation: I was one of those kids who watched nature shows growing up and loved them. I always wanted to go and work with these amazing animals around the planet. It turns out those amazing animals gives diseases to the people that live with them or use them as a food source. In 1996, when 30 percent of the population in Kenya were dying of AIDS, most of them were dying of diseases they likely acquired from the very livestock that helps keep them alive. I wanted to be able to help those animals to stay healthier so the people could stay healthier.  Why federal support is critical: It’s critical for policymakers to support global health research because we can’t separate where animals come from. We do not have borders that keep animals of all species out of this country. Like it or not, we share diseases with those animals. We need those animals to eat, to be our friends, and to make our lives happy. But all of us have diseases that we share, and we need to prevent them from making the animals sick and us sick. When I’m not in the lab: Not surprisingly, given the other things I’ve said, I do have two dogs, two cats, some fish, and some snails thanks to my ten-year-old daughter’s class. I love running with the dogs, going on hikes, and going kayaking.