Oxford University

Our work focuses mainly on malaria, the leading cause of childhood death in Africa; and on bronchiolitis, the commonest cause of hospital admission among infants in industrialised countries.

Much of our work is done in collaboration with research units in the developing world. We also provide a base for paediatricians who are addressing practical clinical problems that affect children growing up in the tropics.

Background to our research:
Infectious pathogens are humans' greatest natural enemies, and those who suffer most are children in the developing world. The only practical way of achieving a radical and sustainable reduction in the global burden of infectious disease is to develop cheap and safe vaccines. The problem is that the big killers such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis are skilled at evading the human immune system, and scientists have yet to find effective vaccines against these diseases.

We are looking into the ethical considerations of conducting research studies and vaccine trials in developing countries.