Please join us at the historic Bath Guidhall to listen to Professor Francesca Aweeka one of the University's 2023/24 Global Chairs hosted by the Department of Life Sciences, deliver a public lecture titled 'Malaria: A Relentless Global Challenge as we Strive Toward Optimized Treatment and Control'.

We welcome members of the public and university staff and students alike to attend this free event, however, ticket registration is still required.

Abstract

Malaria, transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases globally with ~250 million clinical cases and ~600,000 deaths reported for 2022. The two most vulnerable populations for malaria are young children, who are most at risk for dying from the illness, and pregnant women whose unborn children can be greatly impacted. Although malaria illness spanned much of the globe in the 1950’s, elimination was successful in >35 countries with the most lethal form of the illness, caused by Plasmodium falciparum, currently concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.

Treatments for malaria continue to evolve and emerge but resistance for all drugs remains a critical concern with resistance expected to develop for all drugs over time unless further research is carried out. One of the most important areas of study to help offset resistance is to investigate the best drug choice and the correct dose for treating the disease adequately for all persons, but especially children and pregnant women who are unique and for those persons who have other illnesses such as HIV that require additional treatments. Our research program based in Uganda merges expertise from our colleagues in the US as well as faculty based at Makerere University in Kampala. Our work spans clinical trials to learn how best to treat as well as determine effective strategies to prevent illness; this research includes state of the art clinical pharmacology studies.

This talk will provide an overview of malaria, the important areas of study and discuss some of our key findings from our research investigations

Biography

With more than 35 years experience as a clinical pharmacologist, Professor Francesca Aweeka's work has enabled a better understanding of the clinical pharmacology and treatments of several global health diseases, most notably malaria, HIV and most recently, COVID-19. Prof Aweeka previously served as the Chair of the Pharmacology Committee of the NIH-based AIDS Clinical Trials Group and served as the Director of the internationally regarded Drug Research Unit (DRU) at the University of California, San Francisco for >20 years.

Professor Aweeka's research is primarily focused on anti-infective drugs, specifically in resource-limited settings such as sub-Saharan Africa. Her work has significantly contributed to the optimization of anti-retroviral drug therapies for the treatment of HIV.

Through her mentorship of students, trainees and early career researchers at UCSF and, most notably, in sub-Saharan Africa, Prof Aweeka has made major contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion. She is Principal Investigator for multiple grants funded by the US National Institute of Health that focus on improving treatments for vulnerable populations in Uganda and as part of a UCSF School of Pharmacy initiative, she is collaborating with the University of Nigeria to develop curricula for their School of Pharmacy program.