Back Row, from left to right: Tim Rowan (GALVmed Consultant), Philippe Buscher (Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerpen), Stefan Magez (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Mike Witty (GALVmed Chair), Alasdair Swift (UK’s Department for International Develpoment [DFID]), Christine Clayton (Univ Heidelberg,Germany). Front Row, from left to right: Francis Oloo (Consultant), Baptiste Dungu (GALVmed), Robert Don (Discovery & Preclinical Program, DNDi,Geneva), Peter Wells (Chairman,Morendun Scientific Ltd), Meritxell Donadeu (GALVmed).
Not in the picture, attending via teleconference; Oumar Diall (FAO,Bamako), Mahamat Hassane (AU-PATTEC, Addis Ababa), Mirzet Sabirovic (DFID)
The first meeting of GALVmed’s Tryps Programme Steering Committee took place in Bush House, Edinburgh on 27 & 28 July 2011. This broadly-based group with wide-ranging expertise will be instrumental in advising GALVmed on the implementation of ambitious plans to facilitate the development of new and improved drugs, diagnostics and perhaps even a vaccine for the control of African animal trypanosomosis. Caused by a several species of parasites and spread by tsetse flies as they feed on animals’ blood, African animal trypanosomosis, also known as trypanosomiasis, nagana or simply tryps, has been estimated to cost Africa US$5 billion a year.
Funded by the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), the £8million, 5-year programme project has begun reviewing current control options and scanning the horizon to identify promising on-going research that could lead to better tools. GALVmed is in the process of recruiting a programme manager for the project.
For further info please see:
Global alliance leads initiative to develop new tools to control African animal trypanosomosis