devinitorg/iati-policy-markers huggingface dataset:
Treating the host in Dengue: mediators and pathways of resolution as a new therapeutic paradigm Dengue infects some 400 million people in 128 countries each year in poorest regions of the world, yet proper therapeutic treatment does not exist. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, significant dengue epidemics have occurred in the last 10 years in Brazil with around 1 million cases/year reported in the last 4 years (http://portalsaude.saude.gov.br/index.php/situacao-epidemiologica-dados-dengue). Only in May it was reported that several States of Brazil are experiencing a new epidemic (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-32589268). Although severe disease accounts for only approximately 2% of all reported cases, no specific treatment is available and it is not possible at present to define patients at risk to develop severe disease. The combination of high incidence and no specific therapeutic options places an enormous burden on already over-stretched health systems.  In this proposal we intend to study the impact and roles of endogenous mediators that temper excessive inflammation and promote resolution on the dynamics of Dengue disease. To study profiles of expression, and how the levels of these protective mediators change over time, we will use cutting-edge analytical protocols (to be done in the UK). To study the relevance of these mediators to human disease, we will use patient samples as well as novel models in experimental animals (to be done in Brazil). The latter mirror several findings in patients and provide a crucial in vivo environment to underpin identification and the translation of novel therapies into humans.   Our new approach proposes to investigate inflammatory processes during the infection of Dengue and, more novel, the impact that endogenous tissue-protective pathways may have on the course of infection (this area is often referred to as 'resolution of inflammation'). Therefore, with this project we seek funding to study new mechanisms and processes in Dengue with the dual aim:  1. Discover novel mechanisms in Dengue using human samples and animal models. 2. Provide proof-of-concept results that 'pushing' endogenous pathways of resolution can provide a novel therapeutic avenue for Dengue.  The over-arching remit of this work is the novel notion that to combat excessive inflammation associated with infection we could treat the host, to deal with the infectious agents, thus keep them under control and favour their disposal. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
Newton001: Biomarkers of treatment naive psychosis. The First Episode of Psychosis is perhaps the most important stage of schizophrenia, unless effective treatment is established during this phase many patients develop an unfavourable clinical outcome. If we can understand the biological markers associated with FEP and subsequent response to treatment, we maybe able to develop ways of predicting which treatment patients will respond best to. However, to understand this we need to examine samples from patients before they undergo drug treatment, as otherwise it is unclear what changes are due to the disorder/episode and what are due to the prescribed medication. We have collected blood samples (RNA, DNA and serum) from psychosis patients who are treatment naïve (before they received drug treatment for the disorder), and who have been followed for 8 weeks (N=80) and one year (N=30) after drug treatment. This group of patients is unique and being able to study biomarkers unaffected by the drugs given as treatments may allow us greater understanding of the causes and potential underlying risks for psychosis. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
Centre for Advanced Technology for Minimising the indiscriminate use of Antibiotics Resistance to antibiotics is becoming one of the most important challenges of our age. A number of challenges exist if we are to avoid decent into a post-antibiotic age, including development of: new antibiotics; new diagnostics and improved delivery systems. The UK-India Centre for Advanced Technology for Minimising the indiscriminate use of Antibiotics (UKICAT-MA) will establish materials for both detection, at the point-of-care, of ocular infections and the targeted delivery of antibiotics to infected sites in the eye. UKICAT-MA will also promote the use of these technologies in other infective diseases. The Centre involves a multidisciplinary team from the University of Sheffield (Polymer Chemistry, Clinical and Mechanistic Microbiology and LV Prasad Ophthalmology). Much of the work is based around the idea that certain materials respond to bacteria by changing state on binding to bacteria. These conformational changes are then either monitored to provide a signal of the presence of the bacteria or they provide a basis for targeting antibiotics to bacteria whilst reducing effects on surrounding tissues. UKICAT-MA will develop these smart materials to produce contact lenses that give colourimetric indications of bacterial infections and systems for local delivery of therapeutics to infected ocular tissues. The Centre involves basic science activities, which are aimed at understanding the binding interactions that are key aspects of these materials, materials development and development of manufacturing strategies through to clinical trials. Close collaborative working between the UK and India will facilitate this ambitious programme and each partner brings important expertise to progress these technologies efficiently and quickly to the clinic. UKICAT-MA will also look to collaborate with new partners: industrial, clinical and scientific with expertise of infections other than in eyes. To facilitate these further researches we will run a series of workshops in both India and the UK. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
Newton001: Salivary gland development and regeneration One of the factors that significantly impinges on the quality of life among elderly people is a decrease in salivary flow (hyposalivation) and a dry mouth (xerostomia). The prevalence of xerostomia increases with age and affects approximately 30% of people aged 65 or older. Xerostomia leads to problems with speech, taste digestion, mastication and swallowing, and a high incidence of dental caries and candida. There is no cure but chewing gum and artificial saliva are used to relieve the symptoms in many cases. Given the large numbers of sufferers, and the potential increase in incidence given our aging population, it is important to understand the mechanisms that drive xerostomia so that new therapies can be found.   Xerostomia can be caused by a number of different factors. Certain medicines cause xerostomia as a side effect, while xerostomia is also a central feature of the auto-immune disease Sjögren Syndrome, which affects up to 3-4% of older adults. Xerostomia is also a feature of some genetic disorders that affect the salivary glands, such as LADD syndrome and ALSG, and is frequently a side effect of head and neck radiotherapy. We aim to study xerostomia using various mouse models of gland dysfunction and regeneration.  This application aims to combine knowledge of salivary gland development with knowledge of salivary gland stem cells from mouse and translate these findings into humans. This is possible through combining research from basic scientists in the UK and clinical researchers in Brazil, with the ultimate goal of creating innovative methods to treat xerostomia. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
Cambridge-Chennai Centre Partnership on Antimicrobial Resistant Tuberculosis The need for a joint India-UK Centre Partnership focused on drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is founded on the scale of the problem both in India and globally, combined with the pressing need to develop new tools and therapeutics to combat it. There were 1,467,585 cases of TB notified in India during 2012 (the largest number of cases in any country worldwide), with a sharp rise in the number of people diagnosed with multidrug resistant (MDR) TB (from 308 to 16,588 laboratory confirmed cases between 2008 and 2012). Our partnership between the University of Cambridge and the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) in Chennai, India, will bring together a multidisciplinary team to focus on novel diagnostics and therapeutics for TB. This includes the use of emerging sequence-based diagnostics to improve the accuracy of individual patient treatment for MDR and extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB; new drug targets for TB and prediction/investigation of the impact of resistance mutations based on modelling of bacterial genome data; the development of an in-depth understanding of the bacterial genes in diverse populations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis associated with so-called 'drug tolerance'; and novel approaches to treatment of TB based on immunomodulation (enhancement of autophagy and novel enhancers of T cell responsiveness). The Centre Partnership will generate a rich and lasting clinical and genomic dataset. Our objectives require detailed clinical and biological phenotyping and genotyping of patient cohorts, which can be mined to address future questions and will further enhance collaborative research to tackle the burden of drug-resistant TB. We will also innovate in training and knowledge transfer. Leveraging of novel technologies will increase relevant and collaborative research experience for UK and Indian investigators. Transfer of scientific training and technology to India enhances independent research capacity and fosters future international collaborative projects. This will be achieved through mobility and exchange of junior (training) and senior (discipline-hopping) researchers. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
Helicobacter pylori in Vietnam: Prevalence, AMR and Vaccination Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection currently afflicts over half the world's population. Typically children are infected with this bacterium and carry it without symptoms. Only much later in life a percentage (~15%) of people go on to develop symptoms typically gastritis reducing the quality of life. Unfortunately, for some, gastric cancer can also manifest with HP-induced gastritis being the most common underlying cause. There remains no preventative measure for this disease and only antibiotics are used. However, HP is remarkably resistant to antibiotics and in some cases they no longer work making the need for a vaccine of great importance. In Asia and Vietnam in particular HP infection is widespread with over 70% of people carrying the bacterium.   Here we propose to develop an oral vaccine candidate to HP infection. The UK-Vietnam initiative will use a novel method for oral vaccination which has been shown to be effective with a number of similar intestinal diseases. The vaccine candidate will be evaluated in animals to show that it performs and will then be optimised. The consortium includes a renowned Vietnamese vaccine manufacturing group where there exist possibilities for post-project development and technology transfer. This proposal will also bring together a large collection of HP strains isolated from humans into a central depository. These strains will then be examined for their capacity for resist antibiotics with the aim of providing a useful understanding of the prevalence of antibiotic resistant HP in Vietnam. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
Targeting the FOXM1 signature for early diagnosis and treatment in cholangiocarcinoma Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is rare cancer of the intrahepatic and extra hepatic bile ducts. High incidences of CCA are clustered in the Greater Mekong sub-region, particularly in the northeast of Thailand. Relatively little is known about the cause of CCA, and the treatment options are limited because of late diagnosis.  Researching for early diagnosis and effective treatment is an urgent need to prevent the loss from this cancer.  Accumulating evidence indicates that the Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) transcription factor has a key role in tumour initiation, progression, metastasis, angiogenesis and drug sensitivity. A previous gene array study in Thai CCA patient tissues has revealed that FOXM1 and its downstream targets as genes upregulated in almost all CCA cases. We hypothesise that FOXM1 plays a key role in CCA initiation, development and drug resistance. We aim to identify the critical FOXM1 gene transcription signatures involved in CCA tumorigenesis, progression and drug sensitivity. This will not only help to identify reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis and for predicting disease relapse but also aid the design of targeted therapies and strategies to overcome drug resistance in CCA.  This joint project will also strengthen the collaborations between ICL and KKU, and promote the career development of junior researchers from both institutes. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
The identification of genetic vulnerabilities in head and neck cancers for the development of novel therapies. Every year ~370,000 of the world population will die of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and of these more than 80% will be from the Asian sub-continent. In Malaysia, HNSCC is the second commonest form of cancer. Less than 50% of HNSCC patients will survive beyond 5 years after diagnosis, largely due to a lack of effective therapies for this cancer. There is compelling evidence that identifying the genes that are responsible for the survival and growth of cancer cells can help us develop new drugs, and more importantly determine which existing drugs are most effective for specific patients. Here, using cancer cells that were derived from Asian HNSCC patients, we will use newly developed powerful gene editing techniques to identify critical genes that are responsible for cancer survival, and where inhibiting these would result in cancer cell death or growth arrest. The identification of genes that are essential for cancer cell survival will result in identification of relevant existing drugs that could be re-purposed for the treatment of HNSCC. This approach would shorten the drug development markedly as the safety and efficacy profiles of these would already be well-documented.  In addition, the knowledge of the genes that drive HNSCC would afford an opportunity to develop novel drugs that could be effective in the treatment of HNSCC. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
Pathways to optimising antibiotic use in Anhui: Identifying key determinants in community and clinical settings Widespread antibiotic use is considered to be a major contributor to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance in many countries, but there is a lack of evidence regarding its key drivers in China, particularly in rural settings and outside hospitals, and whether these differ from those found elsewhere. This evidence is essential for identifying the health system, behavioural and policy interventions that have most potential for limiting the spread of antibiotic resistance in China, while ensuring equitable access to antibiotics for essential treatment of bacterial infections. This innovative interdisciplinary project aims to acquire greater understanding of key social, economic, cultural, systemic and other influences on antibiotic use by investigating and quantifying current use of both prescribed and non-prescribed antibiotics and other forms of care to treat common infections in rural parts of Anhui Province.  Our study will document treatment-seeking practices for selected common infections from all sources (including informal, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), folk, home-based, private and government medical care) among patients at local health facilities and in the general population. We will gather information on testing, clinical diagnosis and antibiotic treatment procedures at lower levels of the health system and on over-the-counter purchasing of antibiotics from pharmacies and medicine shops. We will ascertain the annual incidence of common respiratory tract infections in the population of Anhui Province and assess the effects of the different forms of treatment they use, including antibiotics, on reported severity and duration of illness. We will also ascertain the feasibility of assessing clinical diagnostic accuracy, relationship between patient-reported symptoms and clinical diagnosis, and burden of antibiotic resistance in non-hospitalised patients, and investigate possible population biases in existing laboratory data through microbiological sampling. This range of evidence will enable us to formulate recommendations for appropriate interventions to optimise the use of antibiotics in Anhui Province and other regions of China. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
HIV G.E.T (Gaming, Engaging and Testing) Project HIV is a significant health issue in the Philippines. In May 2015 the Philippines Department of Health (PDOH) Aids Registry reported 22,684 people living with HIV/AIDS. 86% of the HIV+ population are men who have sex with men (MSM) of which 36% engage in heterosexual activities with women. There are two major issues with the current diagnosis system. According to observations by the PDOH, high risk groups, tend not to come forward for testing, and the two week time period between testing and diagnosis in the current system leads to few returns for treatment and care. This and several other factors are leading to the Philippines having the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world. There is a clear need to address the current diagnosis system and run targeted interventions. As adolescents make up a high proportion of the hard to reach high risk group, this project seeks to: improve treatment seeking behaviour and compliance through a digital gaming intervention; and improve access to testing and speed of diagnosis through rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The study will be undertaken in Metro Manila which has HIV prevalence of 5.3-6.7%. Two intervention clinics in the Metro Manila area and 4 control clinics will be included. A step wedge study design will be followed for game evaluation. The current laboratory-based ELISA and western blot testing algorithm for HIV testing and counselling (HTC), will be replaced by a Rapid Diagnostic Algorithm (RDA) intervention. This will be rolled out for 24 months in 2 intervention clinics and the game introduced after 12 months in a stepped process to provide three arms of evaluation for the two interventions: current practices, RDA only and RDA in combination with gaming intervention. The pilot study will indicate whether the numbers of people seeking HIV services at intervention clinics, compared to control facilities have increased. It will also generate a better understanding of motivational factors for seeking diagnosis, especially from the at risk groups. This will provide valuable information for possible expansion of interventions nationally.  The UK-based research team will provide expertise and guidance, ensuring the transfer of skills and knowledge to the Philippines to plan, strengthen capacity within the HIV health system, roll out, monitor and evaluate the value of the two proposed interventions. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
Using host-responses and pathogen genomics to improve diagnostics for tuberculosis in the Philippines Tuberculosis disease (TB) is a major public health issue in the Philippines with over 300,000 cases and 22,000 deaths in 2016 alone. Worldwide, the World Health Organisation estimates that there are nine million new TB cases and nearly two million deaths each year. The increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistance strains is making disease control difficult. Until today, diagnosing active TB, especially in the early stages, is difficult and requires a sputum sample. In addition, current treatment takes more than 6 months of therapy, with diagnostics unable to help identify early treatment failure. An eventual diagnosis of drug resistance may mean extended further treatment for 2 years.  This project seeks to identify a new diagnostic assay that uses a small blood sample to measure the patient's response to the tuberculosis infection, instead of looking for the tuberculosis bacterium directly. This assay could be able to identify patients earlier and monitor their treatment response. This would allow earlier treatment and more rapid ability to alter therapy to a more appropriate regimen.  This project will link the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - two institutions at the forefront of infectious disease research - to enable world class research. The project will also allow for the training of Philippine researchers in genomic technologies and analysis to allow local capacity building. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.