Tropical Infectious Disease Consortium (TIDC) – Confidence in Concept 2019
Lead Research Organisation:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
The Confidence in Concept (CIC) scheme is a key part of MRC’s translational research strategy and provides annual awards to institutions to flexibly support a portfolio of early stage translational research projects. CIC is designed to accelerate the transition from discovery research to viable translational projects by supporting preliminary studies to establish proof-of-concept so that the approach will then become competitive for more substantial translational funding.
Organisations
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (Lead Research Organisation)
- Mologic (Collaboration)
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) (Collaboration)
- University of Warwick (Collaboration)
- New York University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Collaboration)
- IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Publications
Carson J
(2023)
Overcoming insecticide resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes by using faster-acting solid forms of deltamethrin.
in Malaria journal
Erriah B
(2022)
Crystallography of Contemporary Contact Insecticides.
in Insects
| Description | Tropical Infectious Disease Consortium (TIDC) - Confidence in Concept 2019 |
| Amount | £143,424 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MC_PC_19045 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2020 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | Can a simple change of crystallisation state restore or enhance the efficacy of pyrethroid insecticides for vector control? |
| Organisation | New York University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We will apply deltamethrin to susceptible and resistant African Anopheline mosquitoes that are responsible for the majority of malarial deaths. Previous studies by New York University showed that metastable crystal forms of mosquito adulticides, such as deltamethrin, are faster in knocking down susceptible mosquitoes as compared with their more thermodynamically stable forms. Chemical resistance is complex and multi-faceted. We cannot simply expect that comparative lethalities of compounds will translate from susceptible strains of an organism to resistant strains of the same organism. We aim to characterize the lethality of our metastable forms on five pyrethroid resistant strains of An. gambiae s.l. colonised from Burkina Faso that differ in their combinations of resistance mechanism. We will use tarsal plate contact assays established in LITE at LSTM and develop dose response curves and measure speed of knockdown and mortality 24 hours post exposure for the two DM polymorphs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The objective of this proposal is to increase the effectiveness and speed of action of contemporary, crystalline contact mosquito adulticides, by creating more active solid phases of crystals and their carriers. Co-applicants Kahr and Ward have pioneered the systematic study of the crystallography of contact insecticides. The mechanism of action of these compounds begins with the surface chemistry at the interface between the crystal and a mosquito. We propose to use our understanding of the solid-state chemistry of contact insecticides that are more active against disease-carrying vectors. Faster acting crystalline forms have the added benefit of minimizing chemical waste and planetary exposure. Enhancing existing insecticides provides an alternative to the costly process of the development and evaluation of new chemical agents, and concurrently allows for the minimization of crystalline insecticide formulations used in the field. |
| Impact | Shared scientific expertise, joint experimental outputs and interpretation thereof. Joint publication, currently under peer review. Plans for joint applications for further funding. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Cambridge |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration with Dr Andrew Blagborough who kindly provided us with mosquitoes infected with mice malaria so that we could determine whether the REIMS technology we had already successfully used to age grade mosquitoes could also detect malaria infection. Dr Blagborough provided the samples, we analysed them. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaboration with Dr Andrew Blagborough who kindly provided us with mosquitoes infected with mice malaria so that we could determine whether the REIMS technology we had already successfully used to age grade mosquitoes could also detect malaria infection |
| Impact | This preliminary study demonstrated that the technology could readily distinguish between uninfected and infected mosquitoes using laboratory infected samples. This milestone having been accomplished we have now proceeded to test naturally infected mosquitoes from Burkina Faso. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Development of monoclonal antibodies towards an antigen test for Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever |
| Organisation | Mologic |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The antibodies will be developed by LSTM in collaboration with our commercial partner Mologic, a company leading the development of rapid diagnostics (https://mologic.co.uk/) with a focus on low-resource settings with Public Health England. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The antibodies will be developed by LSTM in collaboration with our commercial partner Mologic, a company leading the development of rapid diagnostics (https://mologic.co.uk/) with a focus on low-resource settings with Public Health England. |
| Impact | none yet |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Medicinal Chemistry Collaboration with Prof Matthew Fuchter. |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have tested novel experimental compounds for antimalarial activity. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Medicinal chemistry support. Rational design and production of new antimalarial molecules. |
| Impact | Outputs are in progress and not released yet. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Recombinant bacteriophages for direct detection of bacterial blood stream infections - mew partnership with Dr Sagona (Warwick) |
| Organisation | University of Warwick |
| Department | School of Life Sciences |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This award has enabled a new partnership between my group and Antonia Sagona at Warwick. The laboratory work funded by this project has occurred in my laboratory at LSTM, and has involved the isolation and evolution of phages for diagnostic purposes. We are on track to hit our milestones, and will be publishing data and applying for further funding. I have lead monthly meetings between the two groups and have presented our data to the teams |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Sagona lab has provided model bacteriophage to generate preliminary results, and has provided SOPs for phage isolation and characterisation. this ha sbeen key to transfer knowledge to my lab in LSTM, and has enabled us to isolate a new library of phages. |
| Impact | The project has led to further funding via a Wellcome trust iTPA institutional senior fellowship (£74,240). This has provided follow on funding but also guidance on commercialisation of the final diagnostic test. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Rob Moon LSHTM |
| Organisation | London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Assay setup for transgenic P. knowlesi parasites to assist vaccine testing to P. vivax. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Development of transgenic P. knowlesi parasites to assist vaccine testing to P. vivax. |
| Impact | Joint publication and MRC CiC funding |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Title | BIOMARKERS FOR TUBERCULOSIS |
| Description | In one aspect, provided herein is a method for detecting tuberculosis in a subject, comprising (a) determining a level of one or more host immune system biomarkers in a sputum sample obtained from the subject; and (b) comparing the levels of the biomarkers in the sputum sample to one or more reference values; wherein the levels of the biomarkers in the sputum sample compared to the reference values are indicative of the presence or absence of tuberculosis in the subject. |
| IP Reference | WO2015040377 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2015 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | None to date |
| Description | Poster presentation at Vector Control Working Group meeting, Ghana |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Svetlana Ryazanskaya presented a poster describing the results of this work on behalf of the research team at the 5th Annual Meeting Multi-Sectoral Working Group of the Roll Back Malaria and Vector Control Working Group in Accra, Ghana on 9-11th February 2023. https://www.globalmalariaevents.org/event/0492f559-8714-424c-97a5-fc4f5d1cef22/summary |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.globalmalariaevents.org/event/0492f559-8714-424c-97a5-fc4f5d1cef22/summary |