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Abstract submissions for TBScience, the pre-conference to the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health are now open.

TBScience is entirely devoted to basic and translational TB research. All aspects of TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment research, as well as basic science research, particularly new, innovative and significant findings are welcomed for submission.

Abstract submissions, either oral or poster presentations, should be aligned with one of these four session themes:

• New diagnostics to reach the missing millions
• Bacterial evolution
• New strategies in TB therapeutics: It’s time to break the mould!
• Prevent infection or prevent disease?

Submissions are open until 22 July 2019.

Base Pair has been collaborating with Dr. Misaki Wayengera of Makerere (TMA2015CDF1545) University in Uganda to explore aptamers for the development of simpler, more sensitive assays for the diagnosis of Ebolavirus.

Ebolavirus is a filovirus that causes severe hemorrhagic fever with a high rate of mortality. Believed to originate with the fruit bat, the virus can be transferred from infected animals and insects and also through the transfer of blood, mucus, or interaction with infected materials. On August 1, 2018, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa declared a new outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the North Kivu Province. As of June 9, 2019, there have been 1,968 confirmed cases and 1,296 confirmed deaths. An experimental vaccine is being administered and a clinical trial for a new therapeutic is underway. 

GP1 glycoprotein appears as spikes on the surface of the Ebolavirus virion. The glycoprotein is a heterodimer consisting of a GP1 and GP2 subunit. The glycoprotein forms a trimer consisting of three heterodimers on the virion surface. The GP1 subunit is involved in attachment to host cells and includes a receptor-binding domain. The smaller GP2 subunit includes a fusion peptide, a transmembrane domain and a short cytoplasmic tail. Glycoprotein residues involved in host entry are highly conserved between Zaire, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire and Reston species of Ebolavirus.

https://www.basepairbio.com/elasa-aptamer-based-elisa/

Read more about Scientific Leadership, the EDCTP integrated Fellowship programme, the EDCTP Alumni Network and hear from some of our EDCTP Fellows on the impact these grants are having on their careers!

Wellcome is exploring how best to support public health and clinical interventions to improve global health. They are looking forward to what the next 10 years of global health trials might look like and want to hear your biggest and boldest ideas!

Wellcome want to know which health interventions you think have the potential to truly transform the health of people living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)? They are looking for large-scale evaluations of interventions that are in development but have not yet been formally evaluated (whether these are a product such as a diagnostic tool, drug, or vaccine, or a behavioural intervention, and whether they are targeted at individuals, communities or a combination of the two).

Wellcome are also interested in understanding how they can support more efficient evaluations that can provide definitive evidence and be much better linked with parallel policy work to allow faster uptake of evidence into practice.

Interventions should:

• be at late stage of development that evaluate efficacy or effectiveness (equivalent to pivotal Phase II or Phase III/IV)
• address the major causes of mortality and morbidity in LMICs
• have clear pathways to changing policy and guidelines
• address the issues of scalability and sustainability
• be evaluated at a large scale (either multi-country or multi-site)

To complete the survey visit: http://bit.ly/wellcome-global-health-survey

If you have any questions about the survey please contact Elena Netsi, Portfolio Manager Population Health at Wellcome, e.netsi@wellcome.ac.uk