Wellcome Trust Centre of Clinical Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford - extension (360G-Wellcome-076877_Z_05_B)

The Wellcome Trust Centre for Research in Clinical Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, proposes to continue its role in coordinating and facilitating the large programme of research carried out by the Oxford Tropical Network. This programme aims to improve the prevention, diagnosis and management of important tropical diseases through a better understanding of their pathogenesis, pathophysiology, genetics and epidemiology and the development of new treatments and vaccines. The main areas of interest are the major infectious diseases causes of morbidity and mortality in the developing world; malaria, pneumococcal disease, tuberculosis, HIV associated opportunistic infections , melioidosis, typhoid, tetanus, rickettsial diseases, dengue and viral encephalitides, as well as emergent western diseases such as hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus, thalassaemias and non-infectious problems such as poisoning and envenomation. As in previous years related basic science research will be carried out in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, the University Department of Paediatrics, and the Institute of Molecular Medicine, in support of epidemiological and clinical investigations in the Oxford-linked Wellcome Trust Tropical Units in Thailand, Viet Nam and Kenya and other overseas investigators and collaborators. Close links will be developed with the department of Public Health. The main role of the Oxford Centre is to provide administrative and logistic support for the overseas units and to identify, recruit, encourage and support the training of outstanding young clinical scientists in Oxford and in its linked tropical units. Continuing support for the Oxford Centre is justified by the achievements of the Oxford Tropical Network which, over the past five years, has yielded more than 400 peer-reviewed publications which have been influential in changing health policy and medical practice, and has trained 22 young medical scientists.