Tweet to Defeat: 24-hour sprint of research and innovation

PATH and the Diarrhea Innovations Group (DIG) hosted #overtakeDD, a 24-hour Twitter relay, on October 11. Dozens of diarrheal disease experts and advocates from around the world joined throughout the day to share research, highlight innovation, and call for greater attention to and investment in reducing the burden of childhood diarrhea. Some of the topics included rotavirus molecular epidemiology; the role of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in reducing malnutrition; and advancing therapeutics for Cryptosporidium. Find out more and see the full list of hosts and topics. 

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) has selected PATH as one of nine product development partnerships to pioneer work to prevent, diagnose, and treat malaria and diarrhea in low-resource settings. Under the new DFID projects, we will tap into our expertise across the full product development value chain—from investigating new ideas to scaling up products—to bring more high-quality solutions to the communities that need them. Read the announcement.

PATH is developing a suite of evidence-based resources to help advocates and decision-makers understand the need for increasing access to oxygen, and how it can be done. Oxygen is Essential: A Policy and Advocacy Primer provides tools to help understand the planning, policies, and technologies involved in oxygen therapy scale-up; showcases a successful example of oxygen policy planning from Ethiopia; and provides guiding questions for decision-makers as they consider a national or subnational scale-up effort of their own. The primer will launch on November 12 to coincide with World Pneumonia Day. The primer will be available online here.

On November 9, DefeatDD will launch Stop the Cycle of Diarrheal Disease, a new one-stop resource on diarrheal disease and its solutions, including the latest evidence on the long-term impact of repeated infections, the need for an integrated approach, and more. The report will be updated on a rolling basis to ensure advocates are working with the latest data. Learn more.

As part of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, September 19 to 25, we joined a live discussion on the importance of investing in early childhood development. Our business and pipeline development officer, Michael Chansler, highlighted the potential for new child-friendly formulations of amoxicillin to treat pneumonia in low-resource settings. Innovations like NutMox—a peanut butter-based, nutritious, child-friendly, stable formulation of amoxicillin—could deliver a suitable option for children and their caregivers, while helping to improve access to treatment and save hundreds of thousands of lives every year. Watch a recording of the discussion.

More than 80 PATH experts will be at the 66th American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, November 5 to 9, to share the latest research and innovations for malaria and neglected tropical diseases, as well as underscore the critical role of US leadership in global health. The Drug Development team will present three posters: (1) Development of Multiple-Micronutrient and Environmental Enteric Dysfunction Assessment Tool; (2) Early enteropathogenic E. coli infections associated with growth faltering at 24 months of age in urban Bangladesh; and (3) What’s the cost? Pediatric cryptosporidiosis in Peru, Bangladesh, and Kenya. You can also catch us at our talk on Cryptosporidium drugs targeting methionyl-tRNA synthetase. Learn more about PATH activities at ASTMH.

In early 2018, PATH will hold the 2nd Symposium on Innovative Therapeutics for Cryptosporidium. This one-day gathering is an opportunity for researchers, pharmaceutical professionals, and global health stakeholders to share findings, exchange ideas, and explore opportunities for collaboration on needed Cryptosporidium drugs. If you'd like to RSVP or receive more information, please contact us. For information about the 2016 meeting, visit the symposium webpage.