Long-lasting insecticidal bednets, or LLINs for short, are an integral part of the global effort to fight malaria, with the WHO recommending that everyone, all 3.4 billion people, at risk of malaria should have access to one. But how effective are they? To try and understand how bednets are being used in the field, a team of researchers led by Paul Krezanoski of the University of California have developed the so-called SmartNet , a remote bednet monitor. I speak to Paul about the unreliable mech...
Jul 18, 2019•5 min
When testing for malaria, there are two primary options: lab-based diagnosis and RTDs, Rapid Diagnostic Tests. There are pros and cons with each. Lab-based diagnosis, whilst accurate, require expert training and a well-equipped lab, which may not be available in low-resource settings. RTDs, whilst portable and inexpensive, are not always accurate, reporting false positives and false negatives. But both of these methods require a blood sample from the patient. This in itself poses many risks; bru...
Jul 02, 2019•5 min
A new study has found that fungus, genetically enhanced to produce spider toxin, can kill a large-number of malaria-carrying mosquitos. I speak with Brian Lovett, who is one of the authors of the paper.
Jun 01, 2019•5 min
In 2018, leaders of the Commonwealth countries pledged to reduce malaria cases by half by 2023. One year on, what has been done to try and achieve that aim?Malaria No More held a panel in London to try and answer that very question.
Apr 25, 2019•5 min
To take a look at where we are in the fight against malaria, I’m joined by Michal Fishman of Malaria No More. She’s co-chairs the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, which brings together organisations to reduce malaria cases.
Apr 25, 2019•5 min
Malaria No More has just launched a petition, with David Beckham as its figurehead. The petition aims to get the attention of world leaders ahead of critical funding decisions for The Global Fund. But this petition is not asking for signatures or for your email address, it wants your voice, and for you to recording yourself saying ‘Malaria Must Die’. To learn more, I’m joined by Dr Elvis Eze, who is part of the campaign.
Apr 09, 2019•5 min
Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the malaria experts. The Mobile Malaria team, led by Dr George Busby from the University of Oxford, are about to set off on a six-thousand-kilometre journey across Africa. They’ll be making the journey in a Land Rover, taking portable DNA sequencing technology on the road. Sequencing DNA is no mean feat, it requires lots of specialist equipment, stuff you’d normally find in a lab. But this project won’t be do...
Apr 03, 2019•5 min
Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the malaria experts. All of our genetic material is made from DNA. It’s a chemical found in the nucleus of our cells, in long structures called chromosomes. The entire set of our genetic material forms our genome; each one of our is unique. Having reference genomes, a list of the genes always occur in a particular species is really important. It allows scientists to identify genes that cause disease, understa...
Mar 04, 2019•5 min
Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria. The world’s access to mobile phones is increasing. Quartz Africa predicts that one billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa will have one by 2023. Fatou Secka, a student at Dalhousie University in Canada, is using this to revolutionise malaria diagnosis. Using a 3D-printed lens clip that attaches the back of a smartphone camera, she hopes to detect the presence of malaria parasites in...
Feb 24, 2019•5 min
Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria. There are a number of stakeholders in the fight against malaria. Hundreds of organisations, nonprofits and government schemes are united by a common objective: to eradicate malaria. But how do you align this global community to ensure that everyone’s singing off of the same song sheet? Well, the Strategic Communications Partner Committee , the SCPC, tries to do just that. Part of ...
Feb 17, 2019•5 min
Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria. Today I’m joined by Dr Mark Amos to discuss the accuracy of malaria testing. How accurate are Rapid Diagnostic Tests, or RTDs, tools that are becoming increasing popular? And how do they compare to traditional lab testing? This is Five Minutes with Dr Mark Amos.
Jan 06, 2019•5 min
Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria. In the final episode of 2018, I’m pleased to share this interview with Penny Mordaunt . She’s the Secretary of State for International Development . Its aim is to build a safer and more prosperous world by tackling the global challenges of our time, including malaria....
Dec 30, 2018•5 min
Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria. Target Malaria is a consortium of researchers using 'gene drives' to help eliminate malaria. In this podcast, I speak with Dr Alekos Simoni, one of their researchers based at Imperial College London.
Dec 23, 2018•5 min
Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria. Today, I’m joined by Jeremy Lefroy MP, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and NTDs. Political attitudes are vital to the success of malaria elimination efforts and his responsibility is to inform other Parliamentarians about the disease. Today’s a good time to speak because the group’s annual report was released earlier this week.
Dec 16, 2018•5 min
I’m joined by Lukyn Gedge who is coordinating the Microbide Bucket Challenge in India. Her team is testing the efficacy of a new biodegradable larvicide that can kill mosquitos, releasing carbon dioxide and water into the atmosphere. This is Five Minutes with Lukyn Gedge.
Dec 09, 2018•5 min
Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria. Today, I’m joined by Mary Skelly, the CEO of Microbide, a chemical company based in Ireland. Her team is developing a biodegradable insecticide for the control of mosquitoes. It’s currently undergoing so-called 'bucket trials' in India. This is Five Minutes with Mary Skelly.
Dec 02, 2018•5 min
I’m joined by Joan Nalubega, the Founder of Uganics. Her company makes and sells mosquito-repellent soap. It’s received worldwide attention after Reuters shared Joan’s story online. This is Five Minutes with Joan Nalubega.
Nov 25, 2018•5 min
To kickstart Series 2 of Five Minute, I’m joined by Stella Murumba, a Kenyan journalist. She’s been involved in an investigation into substandard antimalarial drugs. Her journalism has resulted in the Kenyan Health Ministry to recall Duo-Cotecxin, a commonly used antimalarial.
Nov 18, 2018•5 min
Rachel Carson was born in 1907 in Springdale, Pennsylvania. Carson was a passionate scientist and ecologist, writing about the environment. Her most famous book, Silent Spring, was published in 1962 - two years before her death. The book emphasises the need to preserve our world. It also presented her theory about the environmental consequences of pesticide misuse - particularly DDT, a pesticide used to kill mosquitoes. To discuss this further, I’m joined by historian Linda Lear. She wrote “Rach...
Nov 11, 2018•5 min
Annemarie Quinn and Code Sangala speak to me about their charity, Music Against Malaria. They’re currently touring Malawi to raise money for the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre. This is Five Minutes.
Nov 04, 2018•5 min
Joining me today is Professor Marcia Castro of Harvard University. She’s helped launch MalariaX: From Genes to Globe. It’s an online course that details the science and technology of malaria, as well as the historical, political, social and economic factors to its eradication. The course is available on the edX platform, is free of charge and lasts around 40 hours.
Oct 28, 2018•5 min
Joining me today is Michelle Stanton, a Research Fellow in the Centre for Health, Informatics, Computing and Statistics at Lancaster University. She also holds an honorary position at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. She’s working on trying to reduce malaria deaths by better understanding where mosquito breeding spots are. To do this, she’s using the power of drones to capture aerial imagery in Malawi’s drone corridor – a patch of land devoted to humanitarian drone testing created by U...
Oct 21, 2018•5 min
Dr Deborah O’Neil is the CEO of Novabiotics, a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the design and development of first-in-class anti-infectives. She recently delivered a talk on the pharmaceutical industry as it is today, and offered an insight into what it could become, with a focus on so-called ‘personalised medicines’. She also addressed the worrying issue of antimicrobial resistance and discussed new cancer therapies being approved by the NHS. This is Five Minutes with Dr...
Oct 14, 2018•5 min
There’s a significant shortage of people working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). According to STEM.org.uk, this shortage is costing businesses £1.5 billion a year in recruitment, temporary staffing, inflated salaries and additional training costs. Trying to change that is Professor Katherine Andrews, a parasitologist and the Project Manager of ‘That’s RAD! Science’. The aim of which is to bring STEM careers alive for children through a series of fun and educational picture ...
Oct 07, 2018•5 min
Joining me today is Rob Mather, the CEO of The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF). Earlier this year, he was presented with a Points of Light certificate by Prince William, signed by Her Majesty the Queen. AMF fund anti-malaria nets, specifically long-lasting insecticidal nets, LLINs. Website: https://www.againstmalaria.com/ This is Five Minutes with Rob Mather.
Oct 01, 2018•5 min
Access to healthcare in some remote parts of Africa can be extremely limited, with the nearest health facility located hours away. For mothers of children with severe malaria, this can put their child’s life at risk. But now a London-based international organisation is trying to change that. Transaid is using bikes in remote villages to transport patients to hospitals and health facilities. Florence Bearman, Head of Fundraising, and Kim van der Weijde, the Access to Health Project Manager join m...
Sep 23, 2018•5 min
Joining me today is Sally Edgar from a London-based digital agency AV Studios. They've worked with numerous clients in the education and public health sectors over the course of 20 years, creating animations, designing websites and launching quizzes. I'm keen to know what makes a public health animation effective and, as the NHS introduces an online quiz to determine heart age, will such quizzes have a greater role in public health? This is Five Minutes with Sally Edgar.
Sep 16, 2018•5 min
Welcome back to Five Minutes, the podcast series where we speak to the most interesting people in the world of malaria. Margaret Reilly McDonnell, the Executive Director of Nothing But Nets discusses the importance of mosquito nets, the growing issue of insecticide resistance and cuts to foreign aid. This is Five Minutes with Margaret Reilly McDonnell.
Sep 02, 2018•5 min
Welcome back to Five Minutes, the podcast series where we speak to the most interesting people in the world of malaria. Joining me today are Dr Mike Coleman and Kirsten Duda of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. They work for ETCH which stands for Engaging Tools for Communication in Health. They’ve helped to create an app called Resistance 101. It’s an arcade-style game that makes understanding the concepts of insecticide resistance much more accessible and engaging. It’s available to do...
Aug 26, 2018•5 min
Welcome back to Five Minutes, the podcast series where we speak to the most interesting people in the world of malaria. Today’s episode is brought to you live from Durham University where I met with Professorr Steve Lindsay to discuss his work in developing a new type of bed net. His research has hit the headlines, with coverage from The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Express and other news sites. His mosquito net, trialled in Burkina Faso, has been dubbed as ‘revolutionary’ with the potential to ...
Aug 22, 2018•5 min
