In pursuit of an elusive foe
The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are experts at survival, allowing the disease to persist even when faced with the immune system and drugs. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Sarah Fortune is on a mission to figure out…
Gene-edited mosquitoes might help fight malaria
Tinkering with mosquitoes’ genes to “drive” malaria-fighting traits through mosquito populations might be the next frontier in reducing the spread of malaria, according to two recent studies. In one study, scientists in London modified mosquitoes’ genome to make…
Progress, challenges in tackling pediatric HIV/AIDS
December 7, 2015 -- Since the first World AIDS Day in 1988, the first day in December has been a day to remember those who have died in the epidemic and to acknowledge progress made in treatment and…
Dyann Wirth honored by American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Dyann Wirth was honored by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) with the Joseph Augustin LePrince Medal for “outstanding work in the field of malariology.” Wirth, who is Richard Pearson Strong Professor of Infectious Diseases…
Dissecting the power of a historic vaccine
An international team unravels the genetic basis for the protective effects of the RTS,S malaria vaccine — the first candidate vaccine to win approval by European health officials. October 21, 2015 -- Last month, the public health community…
At HUBweek, experts focus on global health threats
October 8, 2015 — The roots of the current Syrian crisis may be found in the massive drought that afflicted the country between 2006 and 2009 and precipitated a migration of more than 1 million people from rural…
Scientist who discovered malaria treatment wins Nobel Prize
The discovery of a potent antimalarial treatment by Youyou Tu of China, awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine, is “one of the greatest examples of the century” of the translation of scientific discovery, according to malaria expert Dyann…
Q&A: poverty, political unrest—and global warming—encourage Chagas’ disease spread
[Fall 2015] Chagas’ disease afflicts an estimated 8 million people worldwide, mostly in Latin America—though that figure is believed to be low, due to underdiagnosis. Caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, or T. cruzi, the infection is carried…
Two Harvard Chan faculty receive prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigatorships
[Fall 2015] Researchers Tobias Walther and Pardis Sabeti were named HHMI investigators in May by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute—a prestigious five-year appointment covering salary, benefits, and research budget. Walther, professor of genetics and complex diseases, is the…
New target identified for inhibiting malaria parasite invasion
For immediate release: June 25, 2015 Boston, MA ─ A new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health finds that a malaria parasite protein called calcineurin is essential for parasite invasion into red…
