Blog posts

Collaborating across borders to tackle HTLV-1 in Africa


HTLV-1 is a little known but serious virus that can cause life-threatening illnesses, including blood cancer and neurological disease. In many African countries, there is still a lack of research and policies to address it. Dr Carolina Rosadas, Research Fellow in Imperial’s Department of Infectious Disease, writes about bringing together scientists, health officials, policymakers, and community representatives from 18 countries for a groundbreaking workshop in Rwanda – sparking new collaborations, research networks, and strategies to combat this overlooked infection.

Based in the Department of Infectious Disease, I am a Research Fellow focusing on HTLV-1 – an understudied infection that disproportionately impacts underserved communities, particularly in Africa. HTLV-1 can cause severe and often fatal conditions, including blood cancer and neurological disease. There is no treatment for this life-long infection, but prevention is possible.

Despite recent global advances and the formal recognition of HTLV as a priority by the World Health Organization (WHO), many countries in Africa still lack sufficient data and policies to address it. My project aimed to promote local research and help translate knowledge into policy by encouraging multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder engagement.

(more…)

Eliminating hepatitis B: Bridging research, policy, and practice

Clinical Associate Professor, Shevanthi Nayagam

On World Hepatitis Day, Clinical Associate Professor, Dr Shevanthi Nayagam, working across the School of Public Health and Department of Metabolism, Digestion, and Reproduction, shares how her research is helping shape global and national strategies to eliminate hepatitis B (HBV). From modelling vaccine impact to supporting birth dose policies in Africa, she highlights the power of evidence, collaboration, and local action in tackling this silent epidemic. 

Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver and, over time, can cause serious complications such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. What makes it particularly dangerous is that many people don’t realise that they are infected – it can silently damage the liver for years without causing symptoms.  

One of the things that motivated me to start research in hepatitis B over a decade ago, was just how little attention this virus received, despite affecting 254 million people. In 2022 it was estimated to have caused 1.1 million deaths. I’ve seen how hepatitis B continues to affect the lives of those living with the infection and their families – particularly in low- and middle-income countries where prevention, diagnosis and treatment are often out of reach.  

My translational research sits at the intersection of clinical epidemiology, modelling, and health economics – all aimed at an overarching goal: supporting countries to eliminate viral hepatitis through evidence-based decision making. 

A big part of my work involves connecting the global with the local. This dual approach helps ensure that international recommendations are grounded in real-world data . Of course, this kind of work isn’t done in isolation. Everything we do depends on strong collaboration with a wide range of partners – including clinicians, scientists, ministries of health, policy makers and funding agencies. 

(more…)

Inspiring tomorrow’s medics at PCSM’s Outreach Day

Dr Mohammed Sabbir Islam and Lord Professor Robert Winston

At a recent Outreach Day hosted by the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine (PCSM) and HelloFutures, Clinical Teaching Fellow Dr Mohammed Sabbir Islam helped local students explore life as a medic—from diagnosing real NHS cases to learning from none other than Lord Robert Winston. In this blog, Dr Islam reflects on a day of sparking ambition, breaking down barriers, and planting seeds for future careers in healthcare.  

The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine (PCSM) recently had the privilege of welcoming local year eight students for a unique outreach day at the University of Cumbria Fusehill Street campus, linked with HelloFutures.  

I am someone who has directly benefited from outreach projects during my journey into medicine and it was a real pleasure to speak, as a young doctor, to kids with whom I identified. 

(more…)

World No Tobacco Day – some reasons to be cheerful

Prof Nick Hopkinson

What does a future without tobacco look like — and how close are we to achieving it? On World No Tobacco Day, Professor Nick Hopkinson from the National Heart and Lung Institute highlights recent developments that offer real reasons for optimism. From the UK’s bold Tobacco and Vapes Bill to global momentum behind measures like generational sales bans and filter bans, he explores the policies, progress, and possibilities shaping a smokefree future.  

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is making its way steadily through Parliament and should be on the statute books later this year. This will create a smokefree generation where it will be illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1st Jan 2009 – though possession and smoking itself will not be illegal. 

The Maldives also has recently passed legislation to introduce a generational sales ban. Meanwhile a new report from the European Respiratory Society sets out clearly that a generational sales ban falls within the competence of EU Member States, so there is no legal bar to other European countries following the UK’s lead.  

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will also extend the government’s powers to regulate all nicotine and tobacco products in relation to packaging, branding, point of sale, ingredients and product design, prohibit all remaining advertising and sponsorship of nicotine products (tobacco itself being already comprehensively prohibited), introduce powers to create retail licencing for nicotine and tobacco products, extend smokefree legislation powers to   include outdoor public places, and introduce the ability to designate smokefree areas,  as well as increase penalties and enforcement powers. There is a strong theme of future-proofing the legislation to prevent the tobacco industry from developing workarounds. 

June 1st sees a ban on the sale of disposable vapes across the UK. This has been introduced on environmental rather than health grounds, and by Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) rather than Department of Health Social Care (DHSC). The impact of this measure on the prevalence of vaping itself will probably be modest, as the industry has adapted rapidly to produce vape devices that are technically reusable but have a similar appearance and will be just as cheap. The planned excise tax, which should set a minimum unit price for vapes, is likely to have more effect, and restrictions set out in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill should substantially reduce the appeal and accessibility of vaping to children and young people, while keeping vaping available as an option for people who want to use it to quit smoking.  

(more…)

Cracking the code of resistance: A new era for myeloma therapy

Dr Nick Crump

On World Blood Cancer Day, Dr Nick Crump, Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund Intermediate Fellow in the Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, shares how new approaches to understanding what causes drug resistance may lead to identifying new treatments. 

Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer. Around 33,000 people are living with myeloma in the UK. Unfortunately, it is currently incurable, and once diagnosed many people live with the disease for the rest of their life. It is more common in people aged over 65, meaning that as the population ages, the number of people with myeloma is expected to rise. At the Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research at Imperial College London, we are working to better understand myeloma cell behaviour to find new ways to treat myeloma patients. 

Several different drugs are available to myeloma patients that can manage and control the disease. Unfortunately, relapse is a big problem, where the cancer comes back months or years after treatment has ended. When the cancer returns, it is often resistant to the previous treatment, meaning that the drugs that worked before are no longer effective for that patient. Therefore, there is a real need to find new drugs for these patients. Our lab is working to understand what causes resistance to myeloma drugs, to look for ways to reverse that resistance and make the treatment effective again. 

(more…)

Revolutionising research with innovative clinical trials

Prof Otavio Berwanger

On Clinical Trials Day, Prof Otavio Berwanger, Executive Director of The George Institute for Global Health and Chair in Clinical Trials at Imperial College London, shares how rethinking the design and delivery of clinical trials can benefit all involved in medical research.

Large-scale and high-quality randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard in clinical research. Study participants are randomly allocated to intervention or control groups and their outcomes are compared, minimising bias and providing reliable evidence about the efficacy and safety of treatments. Clinical trials have been vital to some of the biggest advances in modern medicine, but they are not without their drawbacks.

Conducting RCTs is an expensive, time-consuming, and complex process. They take several years to complete and cost millions of pounds;. Participants are also required to travel to central trial sites for assessments, making patient recruitment and participation difficult.

In response to these challenges, we have formed the Innovative Clinical Trials Hub. The hub aims to support projects across The George Institute, Imperial and those led by external organisations, to design, deliver and analyse innovative, efficient, and impactful, large-scale, patient-centric trials. In this sense, we are very proud of our excellent partnership with the Imperial Clinical Trials Unit (ICTU) and we will definitely work together in delivering high-quality, innovative trials. Similarly, we see great opportunities for developing efficient trial models in other regions, including Australia (where we have a strong partnership with the University of New South Wales -UNSW) and India.  I am also very excited to collaborate with the UKCRC Clinical Trial Units network in my capacity as the new Chair of the International Registration Review Committee.

(more…)

The Inauguration of Professor John S. Tregoning

Prof John TregoningHow does a scientist’s journey shape their groundbreaking work? Prof John Tregoning from the Department of Infectious Disease shares insights on his inaugural lecture, “Viruses, Vaccines, and the Written Word,” discussing his career, scientific contributions, and the vital role of collaboration in advancing science. 

One of the milestones of academic life is the inaugural lecture. The origins of this are lost in the mists of time, specifically the mid-1950s at Imperial. It is apparently an opportunity for a new Professor to profess their expertise in an area of science. How this differs from lecturing as a lecturer is a bit unclear; I must admit, I am a bit sad there was no reading test on promotion to reader, I’d have aced that.  

One of the key tenets of the inaugural is that it is open to all, providing  an opportunity to engage with a wider audience. To support me, Imperial has provided me with seven key facts about inaugural lectures, including the most terror-inducing one: the most viewed lecture has been watched 1.5 million times.  

Taking this all in my stride, on 28 May 2025, I am giving my inaugural lecture entitled: ‘Viruses, Vaccines, and the Written Word’. From this title, you should get the impression of the things I work on and what I am going to talk about. There is no specific brief as to what you should lecture on, but I have a few set goals: profess knowledge to the public and smash 1.5 million views on YouTube (two of these are realistic).  

(more…)

Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures: How neonatal research is shaping lifelong health

Dr Cheryl Battersby

On World Health Day, Dr Cheryl Battersby, Clinical Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health and theme lead for Neonatal Medicine at Imperial’s Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health (PaeCH), shares how neonatal research is helping to shape lifelong health outcomes for the most vulnerable babies. From harnessing the power of national data to leading pioneering research programmes, Cheryl and her colleagues are working to ensure that every baby – no matter how early or unwell they are born – has the best possible start in life.

We believe that every child deserves the best start in life, and we know from decades of research and clinical care that the health of a baby in the first days and weeks after birth can shape their entire future.

In the UK alone, around 90,000 babies each year are admitted to neonatal units. Some are born too soon. Others arrive on time but need urgent medical care. These fragile early moments matter. They are the beginning of a lifelong journey.

At Imperial College London, our Neonatal Medicine Research Group is one of the largest academic neonatal centres in the UK. We’re a dynamic team of neonatologists (doctors who specialise in the care of newborn infants), neonatal nurses, statisticians, data scientists, and public involvement experts – working together to transform care for the smallest, sickest newborns.

(more…)

Supporting the safe and meaningful involvement of women experiencing homelessness in research

Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation is collaborating with the Marylebone Project and Central London Healthcare on a pioneering project funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). This 18-month initiative focuses on supporting the safe and meaningful involvement of women experiencing homelessness in research. By prioritizing trauma-informed, psychologically supportive practices, the project seeks to improve research methods, ensure participant safety, and empower women to share their experiences. This approach aims to enhance healthcare for this vulnerable group while driving positive change in research and policy.
Members of the research team from IGHI and the Marylebone Project having lunch

Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) is collaborating with the Marylebone Project and Central London Healthcare on a pioneering project funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). This 18-month initiative focuses on supporting the safe and meaningful involvement of women experiencing homelessness in research. The project seeks to improve research methods, ensure participant safety, and empower women to share their experiences.

IGHI recently received funding from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) for an 18-month project in partnership with the Marylebone Project and Central London Healthcare which focuses on supporting the safe and meaningful involvement of women experiencing homelessness in research.

People experiencing homelessness have shorter life expectancies, poorer physical and mental health, and less access to healthcare than the general population. For women experiencing homelessness, the average age of death is 43 – two years younger than men and nearly half the life expectancy of women in the general population. Many homeless women are survivors of abuse, and more research is needed to provide specialised, female-led support for this group in safe, trauma-informed spaces.

(more…)

Call for vigilance after fertility treatment

Dr Srdjan Saso

Fertility treatments like IVF help thousands of women achieve their dream of motherhood each year, but what are the long-term health implications? Dr Srdjan Saso, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction and Consultant Gynaecologist and Gynaecological Cancer Surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, explores what the data reveals, and how clinics can improve long-term health monitoring.

As a gynaecological cancer surgeon, I see many women diagnosed with cancers who I know are also concerned about protecting their fertility. Societal pressures, evolving gender roles, financial insecurities, but most importantly, in my opinion, a declining cultural emphasis of motherhood are leading to delayed childbearing and lower fertility rates.

Fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), help many thousands of women conceive every year. With colleagues from Imperial and KU Leuven, I set out on a collaborative research project to explore an important question: could undergoing fertility treatment influence the risk of developing certain gynaecological cancers?

(more…)