Apr 19 2024
Malaria kills more than one million individuals annually worldwide, and until recently research and control efforts have been largely neglected. Although Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, it continues to be a leader in the global fight against this disease. The Blantyre Malaria Project (BMP) is a research unit within the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine that is dedicated to decreasing the morbidity and mortality of malaria through research, capacity building and patient care. Established in 1986 in response to an initiative in the Malawi Ministry of Health, it has partnered with the University Of Malawi College Of Medicine since its inception in 1989, bolstered by collaborations with malaria researchers from around the globe including Michigan State University, University of Maryland, and the Harvard School of Public Health. It is committed to supporting the educational and clinical mission of the
College of Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), and the Ndirande District Health
Center. Research support has been largely provided by the United States National Institutes of
Health, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Fogarty International Center. Data from these research and clinical sites has shaped past control policies and will continue to inform future developments while cultivating the next generation of leaders in the global fight against malaria.
Mission Statement
To conduct high quality research that informs malaria control and management, to strengthen the internal research capacity of Malawian medical institutions and to provide clinical support
to government health facilities.
Research
Current research efforts focus on severe malaria in African children, malaria during pregnancy, HIV-malaria interactions and drug-resistant malaria. Research on severe malaria is aimed at elucidating how malaria kills and evaluating new treatments based on these findings, including those targeting the parasite itself as well as therapy aimed at the effects of the parasite. Investigations also strive to improve accurate diagnosis of severe and cerebral malaria because standard methods are incorrect in 25% of the suspected cases. The BMP has been a pioneer in research focused on understanding the pathologic processes involved in cerebral malaria and is a leader in a multinational consortium describing the neurocognitive sequelae of this disease.
Research conducted in a satellite clinical site in Ndirande District documented the return of chloroquine susceptible malaria to Malawi, a discovery that may one day be the foundation of the reintroduction of this safe, inexpensive and highly efficacious antimalarial. Current research focuses on how this might be achieved without reintroducing chloroquine resistance. The ongoing malaria in pregnancy research seeks to determine when maternal malaria infection poses the greatest risk for mother and child so that interventions can be optimally targeted to prevent obstetric and fetal complications.
Training/Capacity Building The BMP facilitates capacity building in scientific expertise, postgraduate and clinical training both of Malawian and international scientists. BMP projects have funded post-graduate training in epidemiology, pathology, laboratory science, infectious diseases, and ethics. The project also seeks to involve physicians in training at the College of Medicine with ongoing studies, encouraging interest in the research of diseases that threaten their own community. At the operational level, BMP has participated in the training of dozens of clinical officers, nurses and laboratory technicians. Each of these activities strengthens the internal capacity of Malawi in basic scientific research, clinical research and clinical care. International scientists develop skills in developing clinically important questions and providing high quality, ethical research in resource limited settings.
Clinical Service
The BMP offers patient care services including malaria blood films and anemia diagnosis for children admitted to QECH and on an outpatient basis. The research ward provides clinic care for critically ill children, even those not involved in research studies, and physician staff at the BMP provides clinical care in under resourced departments in QECH. As a component of the cerebral malaria studies, the BMP has financed, installed and continues to support the first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) center in Malawi which is an invaluable clinical resource for all the departments at QECH. At Ndirande Health Center, BMP introduced HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing. The operation of this program has been transferred to the government health staff to increase local healthcare capacity, but the BMP continues to provide clinical space for this program and the antiretroviral clinic. All of these clinical services allow for higher quality and efficient clinical care the hospital, improving the health of the community.
Contacts
Esther Gondwe
Project Administrator
Blantyre Malaria Project
Private Bag 32256
Chichiri
Blantyre 3, Malawi
Tel: +265.999.969.222
Fax: +265.1.870.542
Email: egondwe@bmp.medcol.mw
Terrie E. Taylor, D.O.
Professor of Internal Medicine
B309-B West Fee Hall
Department of Internal Medicine
College of Osteopathic Medicine
Michigan State University
E. Lansing MI 48824 Tel: +1.517.353.8975 Fax: +1.517.432.1062
Email: taylort@msu.edu.
Miriam Laufer, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
University of Maryland
Malaria Section
Center for Vaccine Development
University of Maryland School of Medicine
685 West Baltimore Street, HSF1-480 ,Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
Tel: +1.410.706.5333
Fax: +1.410.706.1204
Email: mlaufer@medicine.umaryland.edu
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