Overview

We aim to improve surveillance, diagnostics, clinical treatment, prevention and disease control for malaria, tuberculosis and other tropical diseases, which kill millions of people each year.

Led by infectious diseases physician and researcher, Dr Jack Richards, the group works across a range of malaria and tropical diseases research initiatives.

The focus of their research seeks to identify antibody responses that confer protection from symptomatic malaria and subsequent malaria vaccine development.

Objectives

• To improve surveillance, diagnostics, clinical treatment, prevention and disease control for malaria, tuberculosis and other tropical diseases
• To contribute towards strengthening health systems and building local capacity in resource poor settings
• To improve the understanding of naturally-acquired antibody mediated immunity to malaria and other tropical diseases
• To identify antigenic targets for an effective subunit malaria vaccine and ascertain the vaccine delivery strategies to induce optimal vaccine responses
• To apply the latest technologies to the study and control of tropical diseases in an affordable and sustainable manner.

Highlights

• Boost for TB fight in Timor-Leste
• Pailin Research Project
• Improving malaria control in Timor-Leste
• Burnet forms Timor-Leste TB interest group
• Burnet to help develop health research in Timor-Leste
• Launch of PlasmoSIP: online tool to assess protein structure and immunological responses in malaria

Collaborations with Australian and international organisations are ongoing in Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Vietnam and Kenya.

Current funding:

• NHMRC
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians
• Melbourne Health
• Rotary: Preston Branch
• Ann Miller Foundation
• Ian Potter Foundation
• Regional Artemisinin Initiative, Inter-Country Component (Principal recipient HPA)

Projects

• Access Point Of Care Initiative
  Increasing access to life-saving treatments for infectious diseases through point-of-care tests.
• Antibody engineering to study responses mediating protective immunity
  This project will involve engineering antibodies against malaria parasite proteins.
• Developing new tests for malaria elimination: G6PD deficiency
  This project focuses on the development of new G6PD deficiency diagnostics.
• Functional antibody responses to malaria vaccine candidates
  Understanding how functional immunity develops to potential malaria vaccine candidates.
• Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency
  This project involves the Richards Group and Global Health Diagnostic Development.
• Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
  A collaborative research program aimed at providing life-saving health care for women and children in PNG.
• IgG subclasses and immunity to malaria
  This project focuses on the importance of antibody subclass for immunity malaria.
• Malaria Vaccine Delivery Platforms
  This project is looking at the development of a blood stage vaccine against the Plasmodium falciparum species of malaria.
• Molecular diagnostics for malaria elimination
  This project involves the Richards Laboratory, Malaria and Tropical Diseases Group
• Stronger Surveillance and Systems Support for Rapid Identification and Containment of Resurgent or Resistant Vector Borne Pathogens in Papua New Guinea: STRIVE PNG
  STRIVE PNG is a three-year DFAT Centre for Health Security-funded project centred on strengthening surveillance and response for vector-borne pathogens in Papua New Guinea.