Overview

We aim to improve surveillance, diagnostics, clinical treatment, prevention and disease control for malaria, tuberculosis and other tropical diseases, which kill millions of people each year.

Led by infectious diseases physician and researcher, Associate Professor Jack Richards, the group works across a range of malaria and tropical diseases research initiatives.

The focus of their research seeks to identify antibody responses that confer protection from symptomatic malaria and subsequent malaria vaccine development.

Objectives

• To improve surveillance, diagnostics, clinical treatment, prevention and disease control for malaria, tuberculosis and other tropical diseases
• To contribute towards strengthening health systems and building local capacity in resource poor settings
• To improve the understanding of naturally-acquired antibody mediated immunity to malaria and other tropical diseases
• To identify antigenic targets for an effective subunit malaria vaccine and ascertain the vaccine delivery strategies to induce optimal vaccine responses
• To apply the latest technologies to the study and control of tropical diseases in an affordable and sustainable manner.

Highlights

• Boost for TB fight in Timor-Leste
• Pailin Research Project
• Improving malaria control in Timor-Leste
• Burnet forms Timor-Leste TB interest group
• Burnet to help develop health research in Timor-Leste
• Launch of PlasmoSIP: online tool to assess protein structure and immunological responses in malaria

Collaborations with Australian and international organisations are ongoing in Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Vietnam and Kenya.

Current funding:

• NHMRC
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians
• Melbourne Health
• Rotary: Preston Branch
• Ann Miller Foundation
• Ian Potter Foundation
• Regional Artemisinin Initiative, Inter-Country Component (Principal recipient HPA)