Preparations underway for this year’s major conferences

WWARN Published Date

Will you join us at one of this year’s key conferences?

We’re busy preparing exhibition booths for the 6th MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference and the 62nd American Society of Tropical Medicine (ASTMH) Annual Meeting. These booths will provide you with details of our latest publications, study group progress, practical tools and researcher capacity building initiatives.

We’re pleased to confirm that we will chair a symposium at MIM entitled “Malaria eradication in an age of artemisinin resistance: an African Perspective”. We have gathered together a group of leading research experts to review the current status of P. falciparum resistance to artemisinins in Southeast Asia and the potential for further spread. The panel includes Abdoulaye Djimde, Bernhards Ogutu, Ambrose Talisuna, Edwin Kamau, Christian Nsanzabana and Philippe Guérin who will discuss the research efforts to measure artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) efficacy in Africa. They will consider how new tools and approaches - including parasite clearance estimates, molecular approaches and correct treatment dosing - can best prepare researchers in Africa to follow trends in ACT efficacy, identify any foci of resistance and respond appropriately to the considerable threat that resistance to ACT could spread to Africa.

ASTMH organisers recently confirmed that Dr Peter Piot will present the keynote speech; Nick Day and Frank O. Richards are will present the plenary lectures. We will update you on our poster and presentation plans in the coming weeks.

We’ll also be presenting a session entitled “The effect of dosing regimens on the antimalarial efficacy of dihydroartemisinin piperaquine in patients diagnosed with uncomplicated malaria: a pooled analysis of individual patient data” at the 8th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH 2013) in September in Copenhagen, Denmark. This year’s 7th European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) Forum in October in Dakar, Senegal is entitled “The Partnership journey: New horizon for better health”. Given WWARN’s collaborative efforts we’re delighted to share some of our learning through Karen Barnes, WWARN’s Head of Pharmacology Group.

If you’d like to know more about our participation in one of these events, please contact us.