01.
the brief
Current interventions in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce the burden of malaria infection and curable STIs/RTIs in pregnancy are inadequate. Malaria infection during pregnancy is responsible for 20% of all stillbirths and 11% of neonatal deaths and is strongly associated with low birthweight (LBW), preterm birth, and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) babies. To protect against adverse pregnancy outcomes in malaria-endemic areas, the WHO recommends providing IPTp-SP to pregnant women at each scheduled ANC visit as directly observed therapy from the second trimester to delivery with at least one month between doses. However, the loss of parasite sensitivity to SP has compromised the efficacy of IPTp.
IPTp-DP is the leading candidate to replace IPTp-SP. IPTp-SP was found superior to IPTp-DP in reducing the incidence of LBW, SGA, and preterm birth. A potential explanation is that IPTp-SP also protects against non-malarial causes of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Indeed, secondary data analysis a pilot suggests that women diagnosed with malaria and BV and/or TV at ANC booking, and who received > 2 doses of IPTp-SP, were one-half as likely to experience an adverse pregnancy outcome (adjusted odds ratio = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.97) compared to recipients of 0-1 dose.
02.
our goals
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats facing healthcare and is projected to kill more people by 2050 than cancer, say experts. Patients with cystic fibrosis also may suffer from lung infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, mainly Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Staphylococcus aureus. If antibiotics are no further option to treat these infections, bacteriophages might be an alternative. Bacteriophages, phages in brief, are viruses that can kill specific bacteria and that can be used therapeutically to cure patients infected with pathogenic bacteria. When a patient requests for phage therapy, the bacterial strains that is infecting them is tested against a set of different phages in the lab using a phagogram. Such a phagogram bring together bacteria and a phage to see if the phage is able to kill the bacterium. This phagogram is a rather simple in vitro model, not representing the complex in vivo lung situation.
03.
our approach
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats facing healthcare and is projected to kill more people by 2050 than cancer, say experts. Patients with cystic fibrosis also may suffer from lung infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, mainly Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Staphylococcus aureus. If antibiotics are no further option to treat these infections, bacteriophages might be an alternative. Bacteriophages, phages in brief, are viruses that can kill specific bacteria and that can be used therapeutically to cure patients infected with pathogenic bacteria. When a patient requests for phage therapy, the bacterial strains that is infecting them is tested against a set of different phages in the lab using a phagogram. Such a phagogram bring together bacteria and a phage to see if the phage is able to kill the bacterium. This phagogram is a rather simple in vitro model, not representing the complex in vivo lung situation.