Britain's national school of public health, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), is a leader worldwide in research and education in global health.
Throughout its rich history, LSHTM has been on the forefront of research for an impressive range of diseases afflicting the world’s poor. Much of its work has been assessed as world class by the Research Assessment Exercise on U.K. higher health—a recent evaluation of the quality of research in all U.K. higher education institutions.
“For more than a century, the London School has trained some of the world’s most outstanding public health leaders,” said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Health Program. “The school’s commitment to leadership and cutting-edge research has made an immeasurable contribution to health in developing countries.”
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has worked closely with the London School. The school has been a recipient of numerous foundation grants in the fields of malaria, nutrition, tuberculosis, and other global health issues.
Most recently, two Grand Challenges Explorations grants were given to researchers at the London School, allowing them to explore unconventional ideas with the potential to transform global health. One Grand Challenges Explorations project, led by Dr. Amelia Crampin, will investigate the persistence of the tuberculosis infection. Her study will trace people in Malawi known to have been infected with tuberculosis up to 25 years ago, but who have never developed TB. These people either have the capacity to clear infection naturally or have a pattern of immunological response representing long-standing protection. Results could have a huge impact on tuberculosis immunology and vaccinology.
The other project, led by Dr. Brendan Wren, will explore ways to use protein glycan coupling (proteins attached to sugars) technology to improve vaccines against pneumococcal disease. This type of vaccine has proven to be highly effective, but, in the past, has been difficult to produce and manufacture. This innovative process offers a new possibility for success.
Professor Sir Andrew Haines, director of LSHTM, comments on receiving the 2009 Gates Award in Global Health: “This award is excellent news for the school and a testament to the hard work, commitment, and expertise of our staff and students. This award could not have come at a better time for us.”