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Five Minutes | Exclusive Malaria Interviews

Five Minutes | Exclusive Malaria Interviews

By Fight Malaria

The podcast that brings you closer to the malaria experts. From researchers to policy creators, everyone will be heard.

A podcast by Fight Malaria.
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Five Minutes with Professor Katherine Andrews | Getting Kids into STEM

Five Minutes | Exclusive Malaria InterviewsOct 07, 2018

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Tracking Bednet Use in Uganda with a Remote Monitor
Jul 18, 201905:00
The Ugandan Inventor Behind Bloodless Malaria Diagnosis
Jul 02, 201905:00
Transgenic Malaria Control Kills 99% of Mosquitoes in African Trial

Transgenic Malaria Control Kills 99% of Mosquitoes in African Trial

A new study has found that fungus, genetically enhanced to produce spider toxin, can kill a large-number of malaria-carrying mosquitos. 

I speak with Brian Lovett, who is one of the authors of the paper.

Jun 01, 201905:00
Halving Malaria Across the Commonwealth by 2023

Halving Malaria Across the Commonwealth by 2023

In 2018, leaders of the Commonwealth countries pledged to reduce malaria cases by half by 2023. 

One year on, what has been done to try and achieve that aim?Malaria No More held a panel in London to try and answer that very question.

Apr 25, 201905:00
Where Are We In The Fight Against Malaria?

Where Are We In The Fight Against Malaria?

To take a look at where we are in the fight against malaria, I’m joined by Michal Fishman of Malaria No More. 

She’s co-chairs the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, which brings together organisations to reduce malaria cases.

Apr 25, 201905:00
The World's First Voice Petition To End Malaria

The World's First Voice Petition To End Malaria

Malaria No More has just launched a petition, with David Beckham as its figurehead. The petition aims to get the attention of world leaders ahead of critical funding decisions for The Global Fund.

But this petition is not asking for signatures or for your email address, it wants your voice, and for you to recording yourself saying ‘Malaria Must Die’.

To learn more, I’m joined by Dr Elvis Eze, who is part of the campaign.

Apr 09, 201905:00
Tracking Insecticide Resistance Across the African Continent

Tracking Insecticide Resistance Across the African Continent

Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the malaria experts.


The Mobile Malaria team, led by Dr George Busby from the University of Oxford, are about to set off on a six-thousand-kilometre journey across Africa.


They’ll be making the journey in a Land Rover, taking portable DNA sequencing technology on the road.


Sequencing DNA is no mean feat, it requires lots of specialist equipment, stuff you’d normally find in a lab. But this project won’t be done in a high-tech laboratory, it’ll be done from the boot of a car.


I recently spoke with Dr Busby and began by asking how they’re able to take this highly technical operation on the road.

Apr 03, 201905:00
Enhancing Mosquito Genome Assembly with a Low-Input DNA Protocol

Enhancing Mosquito Genome Assembly with a Low-Input DNA Protocol

Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the malaria experts.


All of our genetic material is made from DNA. It’s a chemical found in the nucleus of our cells, in long structures called chromosomes. The entire set of our genetic material forms our genome; each one of our is unique. 


Having reference genomes, a list of the genes always occur in a particular species is really important. It allows scientists to identify genes that cause disease, understand genetic inheritance and track migration patterns. Or in the case of malaria, understand insecticide resistance.


Creating reference genomes for mosquitos is a challenge. But now, in a partnership between the Sanger Institute and PacBio, it can be done with just 100 nanograms of DNA.


I speak with Sarah Kingan, a scientist who helped develop the new protocol.

Mar 04, 201905:00
The Canadian Student Using a Smartphone Camera to Diagnose Malaria

The Canadian Student Using a Smartphone Camera to Diagnose Malaria

Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria.


The world’s access to mobile phones is increasing. Quartz Africa predicts that one billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa will have one by 2023. Fatou Secka, a student at Dalhousie University in Canada, is using this to revolutionise malaria diagnosis.


Using a 3D-printed lens clip that attaches the back of a smartphone camera, she hopes to detect the presence of malaria parasites in a blood sample - a useful tool in rural communities, where access to specialist equipment is limited.

Feb 24, 201905:00
Aligning Malaria Communications to Engender Change
Feb 17, 201905:00
The Accuracy of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Malaria

The Accuracy of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Malaria

Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria.


Today I’m joined by Dr Mark Amos to discuss the accuracy of malaria testing.


How accurate are Rapid Diagnostic Tests, or RTDs, tools that are becoming increasing popular? And how do they compare to traditional lab testing?


This is Five Minutes with Dr Mark Amos.

Jan 06, 201905:00
An Interview with Penny Mordaunt, the Secretary of State for International Development
Dec 30, 201805:01
Using Gene Drives to Target Malaria Carrying Mosquitos

Using Gene Drives to Target Malaria Carrying Mosquitos

Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria.


Target Malaria is a consortium of researchers using 'gene drives' to help eliminate malaria. 


In this podcast, I speak with Dr Alekos Simoni, one of their researchers based at Imperial College London.

Dec 23, 201805:00
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria & NTDs

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria & NTDs

Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria.

Today, I’m joined by Jeremy Lefroy MP, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and NTDs.

Political attitudes are vital to the success of malaria elimination efforts and his responsibility is to inform other Parliamentarians about the disease. Today’s a good time to speak because the group’s annual report was released earlier this week.
Dec 16, 201805:00
The Programme Analyst Coordinating 'Bucket Trials' in India

The Programme Analyst Coordinating 'Bucket Trials' in India

I’m joined by Lukyn Gedge who is coordinating the Microbide Bucket Challenge in India.

Her team is testing the efficacy of a new biodegradable larvicide that can kill mosquitos, releasing carbon dioxide and water into the atmosphere.

This is Five Minutes with Lukyn Gedge.
Dec 09, 201805:00
The Scientist Developing a New Biodegradable Larvicide

The Scientist Developing a New Biodegradable Larvicide

Hello, I’m Thomas Locke and this is Five Minutes, the podcast that brings you closer to the people fighting malaria.

Today, I’m joined by Mary Skelly, the CEO of Microbide, a chemical company based in Ireland. Her team is developing a biodegradable insecticide for the control of mosquitoes. It’s currently undergoing so-called 'bucket trials' in India.

This is Five Minutes with Mary Skelly.
Dec 02, 201805:01
The Woman Fighting Malaria with Handmade Soap

The Woman Fighting Malaria with Handmade Soap

I’m joined by Joan Nalubega, the Founder of Uganics. Her company makes and sells mosquito-repellent soap. It’s received worldwide attention after Reuters shared Joan’s story online.

This is Five Minutes with Joan Nalubega.
Nov 25, 201805:00
The Journalist Responsible for the Removal of Kenya's Fake Malaria Drugs

The Journalist Responsible for the Removal of Kenya's Fake Malaria Drugs

To kickstart Series 2 of Five Minute, I’m joined by Stella Murumba, a Kenyan journalist.

She’s been involved in an investigation into substandard antimalarial drugs. Her journalism has resulted in the Kenyan Health Ministry to recall Duo-Cotecxin, a commonly used antimalarial.
Nov 18, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Linda Lear | Rachel Carson, Silent Spring and DDT

Five Minutes with Linda Lear | Rachel Carson, Silent Spring and DDT

Rachel Carson was born in 1907 in Springdale, Pennsylvania. Carson was a passionate scientist and ecologist, writing about the environment. Her most famous book, Silent Spring, was published in 1962 - two years before her death. The book emphasises the need to preserve our world. It also presented her theory about the environmental consequences of pesticide misuse - particularly DDT, a pesticide used to kill mosquitoes.

To discuss this further, I’m joined by historian Linda Lear. She wrote “Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature”, a biography about Carson and her work.
Nov 11, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Annemarie Quinn and Code Sangala | Music Against Malaria

Five Minutes with Annemarie Quinn and Code Sangala | Music Against Malaria

Annemarie Quinn and Code Sangala speak to me about their charity, Music Against Malaria.

They’re currently touring Malawi to raise money for the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.

This is Five Minutes.
Nov 04, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Professor Marcia Castro | Harvard’s Online Malaria Course

Five Minutes with Professor Marcia Castro | Harvard’s Online Malaria Course

Joining me today is Professor Marcia Castro of Harvard University. She’s helped launch MalariaX: From Genes to Globe. It’s an online course that details the science and technology of malaria, as well as the historical, political, social and economic factors to its eradication.

The course is available on the edX platform, is free of charge and lasts around 40 hours.
Oct 28, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Michelle Stanton | Using Drones to Fight Malaria

Five Minutes with Michelle Stanton | Using Drones to Fight Malaria

Joining me today is Michelle Stanton, a Research Fellow in the Centre for Health, Informatics, Computing and Statistics at Lancaster University. She also holds an honorary position at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

She’s working on trying to reduce malaria deaths by better understanding where mosquito breeding spots are. To do this, she’s using the power of drones to capture aerial imagery in Malawi’s drone corridor – a patch of land devoted to humanitarian drone testing created by UNICEF.
Oct 21, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Dr Deborah O’Neil | The Post-Antibiotic Era

Five Minutes with Dr Deborah O’Neil | The Post-Antibiotic Era

Dr Deborah O’Neil is the CEO of Novabiotics, a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the design and development of first-in-class anti-infectives.

She recently delivered a talk on the pharmaceutical industry as it is today, and offered an insight into what it could become, with a focus on so-called ‘personalised medicines’.

She also addressed the worrying issue of antimicrobial resistance and discussed new cancer therapies being approved by the NHS.

This is Five Minutes with Dr Deborah O'Neil.
Oct 14, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Professor Katherine Andrews | Getting Kids into STEM

Five Minutes with Professor Katherine Andrews | Getting Kids into STEM

There’s a significant shortage of people working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). According to STEM.org.uk, this shortage is costing businesses £1.5 billion a year in recruitment, temporary staffing, inflated salaries and additional training costs.

Trying to change that is Professor Katherine Andrews, a parasitologist and the Project Manager of ‘That’s RAD! Science’. The aim of which is to bring STEM careers alive for children through a series of fun and educational picture books.

Katherine is the Author of one of the books in the series titled ‘My Mum is a Parasite Scientist, That’s Rad’.

This is Five Minutes with Katherine Andrews.
Oct 07, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Rob Mather | CEO, Against Malaria Foundation
Oct 01, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Florence Bearman & Kim Van Der Wiejde | Bicycle Ambulances

Five Minutes with Florence Bearman & Kim Van Der Wiejde | Bicycle Ambulances

Access to healthcare in some remote parts of Africa can be extremely limited, with the nearest health facility located hours away. For mothers of children with severe malaria, this can put their child’s life at risk. But now a London-based international organisation is trying to change that. Transaid is using bikes in remote villages to transport patients to hospitals and health facilities. Florence Bearman, Head of Fundraising, and Kim van der Weijde, the Access to Health Project Manager join me for this interview. Five Minutes with Florence Bearman & Kim Van Der Wieje
Sep 23, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Sally Edgar | Animation for Public Health

Five Minutes with Sally Edgar | Animation for Public Health

Joining me today is Sally Edgar from a London-based digital agency AV Studios. They've worked with numerous clients in the education and public health sectors over the course of 20 years, creating animations, designing websites and launching quizzes.

I'm keen to know what makes a public health animation effective and, as the NHS introduces an online quiz to determine heart age, will such quizzes have a greater role in public health?

This is Five Minutes with Sally Edgar.
Sep 16, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Margaret Reilly McDonnell | Nothing But Nets

Five Minutes with Margaret Reilly McDonnell | Nothing But Nets

Welcome back to Five Minutes, the podcast series where we speak to the most interesting people in the world of malaria.

Margaret Reilly McDonnell, the Executive Director of Nothing But Nets discusses the importance of mosquito nets, the growing issue of insecticide resistance and cuts to foreign aid.

This is Five Minutes with Margaret Reilly McDonnell.
Sep 02, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Dr Mike Coleman & Kirsten Duda | Insecticide Resistance Video Game

Five Minutes with Dr Mike Coleman & Kirsten Duda | Insecticide Resistance Video Game

Welcome back to Five Minutes, the podcast series where we speak to the most interesting people in the world of malaria.

Joining me today are Dr Mike Coleman and Kirsten Duda of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. They work for ETCH which stands for Engaging Tools for Communication in Health.

They’ve helped to create an app called Resistance 101. It’s an arcade-style game that makes understanding the concepts of insecticide resistance much more accessible and engaging.

It’s available to download on iTunes and the Google Play store. the links are available on our website.

This is Five Minutes with Dr Mike Coleman and Kirsten Duda.
Aug 26, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Professor Steve Lindsay | Mosquito Nets

Five Minutes with Professor Steve Lindsay | Mosquito Nets

Welcome back to Five Minutes, the podcast series where we speak to the most interesting people in the world of malaria.

Today’s episode is brought to you live from Durham University where I met with Professorr Steve Lindsay to discuss his work in developing a new type of bed net.

His research has hit the headlines, with coverage from The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Express and other news sites.

His mosquito net, trialled in Burkina Faso, has been dubbed as ‘revolutionary’ with the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives.

From Durham University in the North of England, this is Five Minutes.
Aug 22, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Professor Archie Clements | Curtin University
Aug 19, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Elena & Joanne | Feminism and Malaria

Five Minutes with Elena & Joanne | Feminism and Malaria

Welcome back to Five Minutes, the podcast series where we speak to the most interesting people in the world of malaria.

Since the New York Times published a story detailing allegations of sexual harassment against Harvey Weinstein in October of last year, there’s been a surge in feminism and the fight for equality.

There have been huge societal shifts, with the Me Too movement demanding female empowerment, not only in Hollywood on the big screen, but across a variety of careers. Such is true with STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

And joining me today are two female malaria researchers Elena Gomez in Spain and Joanne Powell in Scotland. They’ve created a website called women in malaria, it acts as a communications platform for women working in malaria research.

Live from Spain and Scotland, this is Five Minutes.
Aug 15, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Dr Michelle Wykes | The Immune System's Response to Malaria

Five Minutes with Dr Michelle Wykes | The Immune System's Response to Malaria

Welcome back to Five Minutes, the podcast series where we speak to the most interesting people in the world of malaria.

Today I’m really excited to be joined by Dr Michelle Wykes all the way from Brisbane, Australia.

She runs the Molecular Immunology unit at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and has been focusing on trying to improve the immune system’s response to a malaria infection.

We discuss her recent work in malaria research which has been hailed as a breakthrough.
Aug 12, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Thomas Stewart | The Mentor Initiative

Five Minutes with Thomas Stewart | The Mentor Initiative

In this episode of Five Minutes, we speak with Thomas Stewart, a Programme Manager from The Mentor Initiative.

He tells us about his work in malaria control and why it's now more important than ever to eliminate malaria.

This is Five Minutes with Thomas Stewart.
Jul 22, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Professor Jake Baum | Malaria Researcher
Jul 15, 201805:00
Five Minutes with PMI VectorLink Project | Malaria Control

Five Minutes with PMI VectorLink Project | Malaria Control

In this episode of Five Minutes, we speak with a representative from the PMI VectorLink Project.

The project is equipping countries to plan and implement sustainable Indoor Residual Spraying programs and other life-saving malaria control interventions.

PMI stands for the President’s Malaria Initiative and was established in 2005. The organisation works alongside USAID and other aid organisations to try and reduce malaria transmission.


This is Five Minutes with the PMI VectorLink Project.
Jul 08, 201805:00
Five Minutes with Cheyenne Cook | Vector LearningXChange
Jul 01, 201805:00