New publication examines experience of volunteers in controlled human malaria infection studies12/26/2018
A new publication by first author Stephanie Kraft of the UW and Seattle Children's Research Institute entitled “Exploring Ethical Concerns About Human Challenge Studies: A Qualitative Study of Controlled Human Malaria Infection Study Participants’ Motivations and Attitudes" is now published in the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics (link). Drs. Murphy (UW) and Kublin (Fred Hutch) collaborated with the medical ethics team led by Seema Shah (now at Northwestern University) on this study. The paper explores the experiences of participants in our controlled human malaria infection or 'CHMI' studies in Seattle. An important takeaway was that monetary compensation provided in these studies did not appear to impact the participants' ability to comprehend and assess the potential risks involved in CHMI studies. The team also found that participation in CHMI studies is sometimes a bigger commitment on the part of the volunteers than they initially realize. We could not do these trials without our generous volunteers, and we thank them for their help in the fight against malaria.
As we celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year, we look back on a year of tremendous advances across the entire malaria field - improvements in drugs, vaccines, diagnostics, vector control, healthcare delivery, and more. However, despite these successes, the somber message of the 2018 WHO World Malaria Report is that "no significant progress in reducing global malaria cases was made" from 2015-2017. The Report highlights several key strategies for overcoming this slowdown. First, just 11 countries (10 in sub-Saharan Africa plus India) accounted for ~70% of estimated malaria cases and deaths globally in 2017. Last month, the “High burden to high impact” program was launched to help address this reality. Second, funding for malaria control programs is inadequate and has even decreased in some high malaria burden countries. Despite the staggering toll of malaria, the WHO Report calculated that malaria funding in the 41 highest burden countries was just US$2.32 on average per at-risk person, highlighting the need for inexpensive solutions to this complex problem. Finally, there is an ever-present threat of drug and insecticide resistance. All of the above issues have and will continue to threaten the tireless work being done to combat malaria globally. How can we turn the tide on malaria? As noted by WHO, malaria control programs globally will need to keep up and increase the pressure on the parasite. Beyond existing tools, we think that new tools are also likely needed to take elimination across a global finish line. In a laboratory somewhere in the world (perhaps the laboratory of whoever is reading this...yes I'm talking to you!), maybe 2019 will be the year where your game-changing breakthrough will give the world a long-acting drug, or a highly-effective vaccine, or a critical mosquito control, or another miraculous feat of science that will precipitate the End of Malaria. Here's to wishing that 2019 is such a year! (End Malaria graphic adapted from http://www.africairs.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/end-malaria.jpg) Dr. Melanie Shears attended the São Paulo School of Advanced Sciences on Vaccines from November 22nd to Dec 3rd, 2018. The program was generously sponsored by the São Paulo Research Foundation, and included researchers from around the world and across Brazil. Highlights included lectures from world-renowned immunologists and vaccinologists, and a challenging group project to devise novel vaccines for the world’s most deadly pathogens. Melanie represented the Murphy lab by presenting a poster on our recently-funded NIH grant on malaria liver stage targeting vaccines.
Complementing the vigorous research program, she also enjoyed the social and cultural events, warm Brazilian weather, and the occasional caipirinhas (for research purposes… obviously!). |
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