Africa writers pull together to tackle drug resistant malaria
From left: Daniel Yilma Bogale (Ethiopia), Stephanie Van Wyk (South Africa), Clifford Banda (Malawi), Donnie Mategula (Malawi), Marilyn Solomons (South Africa), Elizabeth Allen (South Africa), Joaniter Nankabirwa (Uganda), Victor Asua (Uganda), Karen Barnes (South Africa)
Cape Town, South Africa
August 14-18, 2023 - The imminent threat of artemisinin resistance prompted a group of emerging and established researchers from Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia and South Africa to get together for the MARC SE-Africa Writers’ Retreat in Cape Town (14-18 August 2023) to fast track their ongoing work to tackle the imminent threat of drug resistant malaria in Africa.
A wide range of topics were addressed, ranging from a WWARN individual patient data meta-analysis on single low dose primaquine for malaria transmission blocking in children, studies of changes in antimalarial efficacy over time in Uganda, methods for optimising preventive malaria chemotherapy dosing in infants, tools and resources to strengthen antimalarial resistance surveillance and response, a systematic review of early warning systems to detect threats to malaria control and elimination, and defining grand challenges in the field of malaria case management. Writing moved beyond peer-reviewed manuscripts, to include grant applications, reports for policy makers, PhD chapters and freely accessible online tools and resources.
The week was kicked off with a discussion of what we aimed to achieve while together, and useful tips for enhancing the efficiency and impact of our writing. In addition to each writer having two individual reviewers, webinars with global experts were scheduled to discuss common challenges when tackling antimalarial resistance. Arjen Dondorp, Chanaki Amaratunga and Mehul Dhorda joined us virtually to discuss knowledge gaps for the optimal dosing of the fixed dose combination triple ACT, artemether-lumefantrine-amodiaquine, in key target populations; acutely malnourished children and adults living with HIV were identified as priority groups for further study. Another virtual meeting was held with Phil Rosenthal and Mateusz Plucinski for a timely discussion on how best to present therapeutic efficacy study results to policy makers when different PCR correction methods can result in substantially different cure rates. Lastly, Nicholas White and Joel Tarning joined us virtually to discuss Optimising Study Methods for defining antimalarial dosing to prevent malaria in infants and toddlers. A further opportunity was provided by the African Research Society students that hosted an interview with Nobel laureates, Randy Schekman and Charles Rice, who were winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2013 and 2020, respectively.
Social and informal interactions were as important as the formal discussions and reviews described above. While there was a quiet room set aside for uninterrupted writing, even after hours, another room was provided where ad hoc discussions occurred as needed. Each evening the group went out for dinner at a different restaurant in the V&A waterfront, encouraging social interaction and getting to know each other as people with interesting histories, families and hobbies. This provided a foundation for building trust and stronger collaborations. All agreed that this writers’ retreat was a great investment of our limited time and resources, and something worth repeating regularly.
The retreat was hosted by the University of Cape Town’s Collaborating Centre for Optimising Antimalarial Therapy (CCOAT), who coordinate the Mitigating Antimalarial Resistance Consortium for Southern and East Africa (MARC SE-Africa).[1]
[1] MARC SE-Africa is supported by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking and its members.
From Prison to Page: Reflecting on a Productive Week at the Writers’ Retreat
Held in a venue with a rich history—once a prison before its transformation into a conferencing center —this week has been a unique and immersive experience. The ambiance undoubtedly added depth to my focus on my manuscript about malaria in Uganda.
I completed my first draft and was privileged to connect with my Plasmodium Partners from across Africa. Setting aside dedicated time for my manuscript allowed me to identify gaps in my study, conduct further research, and delve into literature that complements my work. As the week draws to an end, I reflect on a challenging yet immensely productive period. I am looking forward to the next retreat!
Stephanie Van Wyk, South Africa
The week started with introduction of each other’s, and I was happy to meet new colleagues and hear the work in progress from the malaria researchers in the team from different countries that are working to tackle antimalarial resistance at different angle. I was able to fully concentrate on my manuscript writing and drafted a manuscript on efficacy and safety of single low dose primaquine in children. Sitting next to each other helped me to interact easily and get instant input from the team for any questions I had on the work I was doing. I had reviewed two of my colleagues’ work and provided feedback and I also received important feedback from two reviewers assigned from team.
This created a good opportunity to learn from others and it also helped me to understand in depth the work in progress in malaria research and tool development from the team. I also learnt a lot on virtual discussion organized with global malaria experts with our team and helped me to understand more the caveats to tackle antimalarial resistance. The social gathering organized at end of each day helped me to socialize well with the team and discuss future works and collaborations on malaria. Although the week was short, I achieved my goal and gained a lot than expected.
Daniel Yilma Bogale, Ethiopia
Such a great week - focused time to work alongside old and new colleagues and making progress with the quest to complement the existing WWARN resources in relation to MARC-SE. This should further harmonise the way antimalarial drug resistance studies are conducted, analysed, and reported. And, most importantly, used to inform policy and practice.
Elizabeth Allen, South Africa
It was great to have the protected time to concentrate on two activities whose deadlines were fast approaching. As part of the retreat, I worked on finalizing the analysis for the Therapeutic efficacy studies and supporting the writing of the preliminary report. This activity, which was quite intense, took up most of the time on Days 1 and 2. I am happy to note that the report was successfully submitted at the end of Day 2. For Days 3-5, my efforts were diverted towards an NIH grant application with focus on completing the Significance section and drafting sections of the Approach. The interactions with the team together with the focused time enhanced by working in the “silence room” have ensured that this was achieved this morning. I am looking forward to the comments from my peer reviewer before I share with my co investigators.
On the social side, it was great to work closely with the other participants, most of whom I met in Zanzibar but had not had a chance to work closely with in an unguarded environment. I am confident this interaction will result in enhanced collaborations now and in the future. It was also great to tap into their unlimited knowledge and experience.
In summary, the week has been quite intense but very productive and I look forward to many more of these.
Joaniter Nankabirwa, Uganda
