Researchers from African and European organisations have published the results of a phase II/III clinical trial that demonstrated the safety and superior efficacy of a new treatment against soil-transmitted helminths (STH), a group of intestinal parasites that afflict 1.5 billion people —the most prevalent of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). WHO's 2021-2030 Roadmap for STH has set the goal of its elimination as a public health problem before the end of the decade, and recommends mass drug administration campaigns in high prevalence regions. These usually translate to annual or biannual treatment rounds with a single dose of albendazole, an antiparasitc drug that is highly efficacious against 3 of the 5 species of STH considered by WHO. Complementing with ivermectin can help target the 5 species, but also complicates logistics, as it is dosed individually. The novel drug is a fixed-dose combination of both albendazole and ivermectin in a single tablet, so it can deliver the simpler logistics of the current approach and the superior efficacy of the combination strategy.

In an effort to close the gap in neurological outcomes for underserved populations, a UTHealth Houston project funded with $2.9 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will engage community partners to improve the design of clinical trials.

UC Riverside scientists have now discovered a chemical that plants produce when they're stressed prevents dangerous biofilm from forming. The breakthrough offers potential advances in healthcare as well as preventing equipment corrosion in industrial settings.