Brighton and Sussex Medical School to tackle 'neglected' diseases that harm millions

Funding for the five-year project comes from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and will cover research projects based in Ethiopia, Sudan and Rwanda, working on three NTDs (podoconiosis, mycetoma and scabies). Together, these conditions seriously affect millions of people in poor communities in low-income countries – yet have been largely ignored by the medical research community.

Podoconiosis is a progressive form of leg swelling often seen in barefoot farmers, while Mycetoma is a slow-growing, destructive infection of the skin and underlying tissues. Scabies is a profoundly irritating infectious skin condition caused by tiny mites burrowing into the skin.

These conditions are all painful, disabling and reduce mobility which has a severe negative impact on all aspects of life at the individual, household, community and national levels. The diseases are still associated with high levels of stigma, which creates social isolation, reduces opportunities for education, and increases the risk of poor mental health.

Professor Melanie Newport

Treating mycetoma in Sudan - picture courtesy of Al-Fanar Media

A key element of the project is to help train researchers in some of the countries particularly affected by these diseases, such as Ethiopia, Sudan and Rwanda. The scientific goals of the research include: improving ability to diagnose, prevent and treat podoconiosis; developing tools to prevent mycetoma, for which there is currently no effective treatment; and strengthening the ability of low-income countries to respond to scabies outbreaks.

Current knowledge of these neglected diseases within health care systems is often inadequate. Diagnosis and treatment options are limited and the cost of accessing health care to ease symptoms can be prohibitively expensive. The new research will be organised into four interrelated themes: mechanisms of disease, geospatial mapping, diagnostics and drug development, and implementation research. The funding will help support training for seven PhD students and 13 post-doctoral researchers in countries where these conditions are endemic.

The Principal Investigator at BSMS is Melanie Newport, Professor in Infectious Diseases and Global Health. She said: “This grant will enable us to continue our work on these debilitating and stigmatising conditions that affect millions of the world’s poorest people.

“Central to our approach is to train and empower future researchers from Ethiopia, Sudan and Rwanda, and strengthen capacity to do similar research in all three countries that will lead to the elimination of diseases and improve the health and wealth of affected populations.”

Co-Principal Investigator and Head of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Medical Discovery & Clinical Trials (CDT-Africa) at Addis Ababa University, Professor Abebaw Fekadu added: “I am really excited about this grant because it has given us an opportunity to continue the exemplary partnership between Addis Ababa University and BSMS.

“It is also an opportunity to build on our excellent work over the past four years, in which we have been able to demonstrate that effective care for these highly stigmatising and neglected conditions can be provided through integrated healthcare. This makes care provision both affordable and scalable. The capacity building opportunities in the three low- and middle-income countries will also ensure sustainability of impact.”

Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) is a partnership between the universities of Brighton and Sussex and the local NHS health community, and is one of most highly-ranked medical schools in the UK.