Knowledge Generation

Marion Jourdan of Danone Nutricia Research in the Netherlands together with Michael Zimmermann of ETH Zürich in Switzerland will test an approach to enhance iron absorption from food in children in Kenya by providing them with live food-grade bacteria to release phytate-bound iron from popular foods such as cereal flour. Phytates bind strongly to iron and inhibit its absorption. Their previous work identified different bacterial strains containing phytases that could grow in milk, degrade phytates, and release nutritionally-relevant levels of free iron in vitro.

Munyaradzi Musvosvi of the University of Cape Town in South Africa will determine whether a valuable biomarker of tuberculosis (TB) can be measured in small volumes of blood collected by finger-prick together with an automated, low-cost processing approach to accelerate diagnoses in low-resource settings. Individuals with TB have higher levels of a specific activation marker on the surface of some of their T cells, which could be a valuable diagnostic target.

Rakhi Dandona of the Public Health Foundation of India will examine gender disparities in national health programs in India by harnessing existing large-scale gender-specific data for disease burden and their risk factors from the Global Burden of Disease Study to help address gender-based health inequities in India. Males and females are affected differently by many diseases.

Seth Bloom of Massachusetts General Hospital in the U.S. together with Sinaye Ngcapu of the Center for the AIDS Programme of Research (CAPRISA) in South Africa will investigate how bacterial vaginosis (BV) and non-Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiota elevate the risk of contracting HIV-1 to help develop preventative therapies. South Africa has high rates of BV and microbiota-associated vaginal HIV transmission but the underlying mechanisms are unknown, which makes it difficult to prevent.

Nicole Stoffel of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom together with Pattanee Winichagoon of Mahidol University in Thailand will perform a double-blind randomized controlled trial to test whether providing iron-fortified food to iron-deficient women in Thailand improves their immune response to vaccination. Vaccines underperform in low- and middle-income countries, which may be caused by poor nutrition. Iron deficiency is common, and iron may play a key role in adaptive immunity and vaccine response.

Charles Wondji of the Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases in Cameroon will establish the African Consortium in Modeling for Effective Vector Control (ACoMVeC) together with seven research institutes across the continent, bringing together African scientists and northern partners in the U.S. and United Kingdom to help improve malaria control.

HOPE Worldwide Kenya (HOPE) incorporates and integrates these findings in following three components of sexual health interventions: 1) HIV/STI prevention messaging through “Shuga” video-based intervention sessions; 2) Gender and life-skills programming provided through trained peer-leaders in small groups called “sister walks”; 3) Vocational and entrepreneurial skills training and job placement support.

Yaws is a neglected tropical disease, considered a disease of poverty caused by Treponema pallidum subsp. Pertenue (TPE). It affects people living in very deprived hard to reach rural communities. The true global burden of yaws is unfortunately still unknown and although there are 99 countries and territories that are known to be endemic for yaws, only 15 of those countries and territories have reported recent data on yaws. Infection with yaws, if untreated could lead to gross deformities and disabilities.

Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia or “snail fever” is a parasitic disease that affects men, women and children living in tropical regions. Disease transmission occurs through contact with freshwater during regular daily activities (washing, bathing, gathering water, swimming) putting adults, adolescents and children at continuous risk of infection. The parasite lives in the blood vessels in the pelvis and lays eggs that get stuck to the urinary and genital tract causing blood in the urine as well as severe bladder, kidney, and genital damage.

BIG BAD BOO STUDIOS INC. (Big Bad Boo) is a Canadian production company that specializes in innovative educational programming.