Program aims:
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant (MDR) malaria pose major public health challenges, threatening health security across the Asia-Pacific region. Our team has a proven 20-year record of strengthening research collaboration in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea and in facilitating implementation of research findings into policy and practice. We will work with partners from our regional networks to increase the research capacity and expertise of our partners, developing and testing health systems strategies to prevent and contain multidrug-resistant malaria and TB, and strengthening the capacity of health systems.
This will expand our system strengthening activities, and regional collaborations established with the Tropical Disease Research Regional Collaboration Initiative (TDRRCI). We will build upon our existing capacity development, to scale up new health interventions that address health security and achieve policy transfer, driven by systems-oriented implementation research
- improving service delivery for the prevention and treatment of infection
- implementing new approaches to tuberculosis case detection and prevention, particularly multi-drug resistant strains
- molecular surveillance for monitoring the emergence and spread of MDR organisms at sentinel sites, so that healthcare resources can be prioritised for high risk populations
- The team will support and upskill local researchers to address both diseases
Chief Investigator:
Co-investigators
- Professor Stephen Graham - University of Melbourne
- Professor Anna Ralph - Menzies School of Health Research
- Doctor Jeanne Poespoprodjo - Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
- Doctor Evelyn Lavu - National Department of Health Papua New Guinea
- Doctor Philipp DuCros - Burnet Institute
- Professor Nicholas Anstey - Menzies School of Health Research
- Doctor Christopher Morgan - Burnet Institute
- Doctor Suman Majumdar - Burnet Institute
- Doctor Rintis Noviyanti – Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology, Indonesia
Associate Investigators
- Doctor Sarah Auburn- Menzies School of Health Research
- Doctor Geoff Chan - Burnet Institute
- Associate Professor Christopher Coulter - Queensland Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory
- Doctor Paison Dakulala - National Department of Health, Papua New Guinea
- Angela Devine – University of Oxford, UK
- Associate Professor Freya Fowkes - University of Melbourne, Monash University
- Doctor Enny Kenangalem - Papuan Community Health and Development Foundation, Indonesia
- Doctor Trisasi Lestari - Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia
- Professor Koen Peeters - Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium
- Doctor Leanne Robinson – Burnet Institute
Program Manager:
Program Dates:
- July 2018 - June 2021
Funders:
Collaborators:
- Burnet Institute
- University of Melbourne
- Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia
- National Department of Health, Papua New Guinea
- Central Public Health Lab, PNG
- Western Province Health Office, PNG
- Papuan Health and Community Development Foundation
- Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology, Jakarta
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
- Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network
- WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network
Australian partners
| Menzies School of Health Research | Darwin |
Lead organisation; Medical research institute |
| Burnet Institute | Melbourne | Consortium partner; Medical research institute; International development organisation |
| Queensland Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory (QMRL) | Brisbane | Supranational reference laboratory for TB including for PNG providing capacity development in WGS |
International partners:
| Papuan Health and Community Development Foundation | Non-Government Organisation | Papua, Indonesia | Delivery of field activities for TB and malaria systems strengthening in Papua |
| Rumah Sakit Mitra Masyarakat | Health services | Papua, Indonesia | Will participate in the adherence interventions and surveillance of impact |
| Mimika District Health Authority | Government | Papua, Indonesia | The DHO will work in community health systems strengthening in Papua |
| Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology | Research institute | Jakarta, Indonesia | Undertake the molecular analysis of TB and malaria in Indonesia |
| Gadjah Mada University | University | Yogyakarta, Indonesia | The university provides supervision and training for TB activities in eastern Indonesia |
| National Department of Health | Government | Papua New Guinea | Stewardship of MDR-TB response in PNG providing knowledge dissemination and policy translation |
| Western Province Health Office | Government | Papua New Guinea | Stewardship of Daru TB program, capacity building, community engagement and systems strengthening |
| Central Public Health Laboratory | Government | Papua New Guinea | Provide laboratory diagnostics, national surveillance for TB and collaborate with QMRL |
| Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp | University | Antwerp, Belgium | Medical Anthropology Unit (Al Peeters) will help to design, implement and analyse the mixed methods in Papua |
| Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute | Research institute | Cambridge, United Kingdom | Design and analysis of amplicon sequencing of P.falciparium and P.vivax |
| Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network | Non-Government Organisation | Singapore | Wider community engagement and dissemination of malarial activities |
| WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network | University | Oxford, United Kingdom | Geospatial mapping / online presentation of molecular markers of antimalarial drug resistance |
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DILI POST | Menzies- MS Asina MoU Ba Tinan Tolu
Ami nia prezensa iha Timor-Leste ne’e ajuda ona hodi planeia, kolabora no hala'o ami nia peskiza no mós preparadu ho di'ak hodi suporta no hasa’e kapasidade funsionáriu lokál sira nian,” haktuir Cass.
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Largest-ever IPD meta-analysis of malaria patients to inform haemoglobin changes
A new malaria study using a very large analysis of pooled individual patient data from more than 70,000 patients of all ages, has been published in BMC Medicine. Picture credit: Flickr, Cristhian Alama, Red Mundial
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Strengthening health systems in Timor-Leste
Today, marks two years since Menzies officially established an office in Timor-Leste, working with the Timor-Leste Government and partners to strengthen health systems for responding to infectious diseases challenges.
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Hidden malaria life cycle discovered in the spleen
Ground-breaking studies published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and PLOS Medicine have found large numbers of malaria parasites hiding in the human spleen where they actively multiply in a previously unrecognised life cycle.
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Regional research set to get digital boost
Resources Regional Collaborations Programme COVID-19 Digital Grants, recognises A/Prof Kamala Ley-Thriemer, Dr Jo Wapling and Dr Chris Lowbridge.
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Five medical research projects recognised in the Northern Territory
Five researchers based at Menzies have received recognition in the form of Investigator Grants from the NHMRC and the MRFF.
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Calls for a universal radical cure to treat malaria
The elimination of malaria from the Asia Pacific within the decade will require the safe and effective radical cure of malaria, a new paper in Trends in Parasitology suggests.
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Calls for a universal radical cure to treat malaria
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Media Release | Malaria researcher awarded national fellowship
Menzies School of Health (Menzies) researcher Dr Kamala Thriemer has been awarded a prestigious $1.25 million CSL Centenary Fellowship to develop and optimise treatment programs against vivax malaria in SE Asia and the Horn of Africa.
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Media Release | $2.5 million CSL Centenary Fellowships announced
Two Australian scientists have each been awarded AUD$1.25 million CSL Centenary Fellowships over five years to improve treatments for two of the world’s biggest health challenges: malaria and cancer.
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Management of Tuberculosis: a guide for clinicians
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How we can end TB by 2030
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Tuberculosis services in PNG in the journal Public Health Action.
A major output from the Tropical Disease Research Regional Collaborative Initiative between Menzies School of Health Research and the Burnet Institute was launched last week at the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Annual Medical Symposium in Port Moresby. A series of papers have been published by PNG health workers who provide tuberculosis services in PNG in a special supplement in the journal Public Health Action.
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Supporting TB health systems
This research was conducted as part of several initiatives led by a Menzies-Burnet regional consortium in partnership with institutions in Indonesia and PNG.
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New Research Pinpoints Faster Treatment to Cure Vivax Malaria
A new research study has shown that a seven-day treatment with a high dose of an anti-malaria drug can be tolerated by patients
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New study shows faster way to cure vivax malaria
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7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research | Final Report
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An urgent need for antimicrobial stewardship in Indigenous rural and remote primary health care
The Coordinated Remote AntiMicrobial Stewardship (CRAMS) Group is funded by HOT North (Improving Health Outcomes in the Tropical North).
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Coverage from the 7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research
Wrapping up the 7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research, day three focused on the topics of P. vivax drugs and approaches for P. vivax elimination.
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MediaNewsroomCDU, Menzies researcher leads battle against malaria CDU, Menzies researcher leads battle against malaria
Blood platelets, neutrophils and the spleen have novel roles in people with malaria, according to new research from Charles Darwin University (CDU) and Menzies School of Health Research.
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50 Top Biomedical And Health Scientists Join Prestigious Academy Of Medical Sciences Fellowship
Prof Ric Price recognised by The Academy of Medical Sciences as one of 50 of the UK’s leading figures elected to their esteemed Fellowship.
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50 top biomedical and health scientists join prestigious Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship
Professor Richard Price , Professor of Global Health and Senior Principal Research Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research, and Professor of Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford
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Asia–Pacific research partnerships set to tackle big challenges
The largest grant, of $257,767, goes to the Menzies School of Health Research for a project with collaborators in Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Netherlands.
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SMH | Commonwealth regional research grants key to 'science diplomacy'
Among the other projects funded are the Menzies School of Health Research partnering with Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal to develop malaria treatments.
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Funding spotlight on eliminating malaria in Vietnam
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PNG-Aust researchers to combine under new grant program
Australian and Papua New Guinean research groups will work in partnership to address malaria, tuberculosis and other health security threats, under a new grants program funded by the Australian government.
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Improving P. vivax malaria treatment
A study, led by a team at Menzies School of Health Research in Australia, has assembled individual patient data from clinical trials conducted since 2000, investigating the effect of chloroquine dosing, combined with the partner drug primaquine, and the risk of recurrent malaria across different settings.
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NT News | Malaria breakthrough for NT
NT News page 7 - 21 July 2018 | Report on The Lancet Infectious Diseases P.vivax paper.
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Xinhua News | "Radical cure" best treatment for common malaria: study
(Xinhua) -- Researchers have discovered that a "radical cure" is the best treatment for a type of malaria affecting 13 million people.
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New evidence supports radical treatment of widespread form of malaria
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Stronger Systems for Health Security Applied Research Grants
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Australian support for eliminating malaria and health research in the Indo-Pacific
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