Log in
Research conducted by Professor Nick Mascie-Taylor on the causes and effects of parasitic infection in Bangladesh, and on the effectiveness of different interventions, led directly to changes in government policy, the roll-out of drug and health education campaigns by the World Health Organisation and the World Bank, and ultimately a reduction in the prevalence of infection and an improvement in the health of Bangladeshi poor. For example, based on recommendations from this research, a two-drug strategy for the control of Filariasis commenced in Bangladesh in 2008; by 2010 twelve districts with high prevalence had been treated, resulting in ~27 million individuals receiving treatment. With this approach microfilaremia prevalence had fallen from about 15% to under 1%.
Research at the University of Liverpool (UoL) has demonstrated the importance of intestinal tapeworm infection as an important and hitherto unrecognised risk factor for a major life-threatening acute intestinal disease (colic) in the horse. A novel serological test for exposure to the tapeworm infection was developed at UoL to provide a diagnostic tool for research and clinical applications. As a result, "best practice" equine preventive healthcare programmes now include anti-helminth and tapeworm control protocols and anti-tapeworm anthelmintics are licensed for use in the horse and marketed throughout the world. This research has had a major impact on equine health resulting in welfare and economic benefits for horses, their owners, veterinary practices and industry.
Re-use of wastewater for irrigation is essential to secure global food security, but it poses serious health risks. Research at the University of Leeds into the effectiveness of wastewater treatment in pathogen removal and the subsequent development of quantitative microbial risk analysis (QMRA) methods now enable governments, regulators and NGOs to assess risks and identify cost-effective re-use strategies. World Bank policy documents and country-level analysis strongly recommend the QMRA approach developed at Leeds. These policy guidelines and analyses have subsequently impacted on many countries' ability to reduce the costs of wastewater treatment and grow more food safely. This impacts food grown for local consumption and export.
Pioneering interdisciplinary research at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has enabled governments internationally and global health authorities to respond swiftly to the outbreak of a disease that causes huge economic losses, threatens the livelihoods of vulnerable populations in the developing world and endangers human lives. Supported by proactive dissemination, it has shaped the control policies and risk management strategies of the United Nations and governments across Asia, Africa and Europe, as well as a national contingency plan for the UK. And it has demonstrated that costly vaccination campaigns and mass culling programmes can be avoided in efforts to bring the disease under control.
A discovery that a tomato extract could help with healthy blood flow has been translated into a functional food ingredient now marketed globally via the spin-out company Provexis plc. Fruitflow® — Provexis' lead product — is the result of findings by researchers at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, now part of the University of Aberdeen, that biologically active constituents in tomatoes inhibit blood platelet aggregation: a known cause of heart attack, stroke and venous thrombosis. In 2009 Fruitflow® was the first food ingredient to meet the requirements of the European Food Safety Agency for products with a specific health claim. Provexis — the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute spinout — is listed on the AIM market — the London Stock Exchange's international market for smaller growing companies — has seen values of £14 - £60 million and secured co-development agreements with major international partners, including DSM, Unilever and Coca-Cola. This case study demonstrates the direct translation of research to produce a functional food ingredient of interest to global market players.
The claimed impact therefore relates to development of new product, which has received the first ever novel health claim (Article 13.5) from the European Food Safety Authority, and is being marketed as novel food ingredient globally by a multinational company.
Research by the University of Southampton into maternal and child health in the developing world has contributed significantly to the design of better health policies by governments, international agencies, and non-governmental organisations. The research broke new ground in identifying the urban poor in developing countries as among the groups most at risk of poor maternal and child health. Its findings have informed policy and funding priorities at national and international organisations including the Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Nations; influenced health practitioners in Africa and Asia; and led to better health care outcomes in countries which were the focus of the research.
Research at the University of Nottingham (UoN) has had influence on development of health policy in the UK and internationally. It is recognised that the risk of diseases related to obesity and insulin resistance, is partly determined by the nutritional environment experienced during early life. Against a background of scepticism researchers at the UoN have generated data that has been critical in demonstrating the biological plausibility of such associations. This has influenced expert panels and non-governmental organisations in framing their current recommendations for nutrition in pregnancy and infancy, which benefit women and children worldwide.
Research conducted at the University of Bristol between 2003 and 2012 on the ecology, epidemiology and control of parasitic flies and worms has improved animal health and welfare in the UK and is addressing a major constraint on global food production — animal disease, particularly in the context of climate change. These are some of the impacts:
Research by LSHTM has put handwashing with soap (HWWS) at the heart of international efforts towards diarrhoeal disease prevention, changing the way good hygiene practices are communicated globally. The research led to the global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap (PPPHW), a coalition of stakeholders interested in child health and handwashing, and a billion people have been reached through initiatives such as Global Handwashing Day (GHD). Millions more have benefited from the research through hygiene programmes set up by industry. The risk of death from diarrhoeal disease for those reached by these campaigns has been substantially reduced.
The UCL Dental Public Health Group have made a significant contribution to oral health policy in the UK and internationally through their research on oral health inequalities and the need for a reorientation of dental services towards a more evidence based, integrated preventive approach addressing common risks for oral diseases and other chronic conditions. Our work has influenced local national oral health policies and the development of clinical practice guidelines to reduce oral health inequalities and provide the opportunity for dental professionals to prevent both oral and systemic disease.