Partner Institutes
|
|
| London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine | University of Peshawar |
Project brief:
The Baghdad boil or the Lahore sore, as the name implies, is a skin disease prevalent in refugee camps in Afghanistan and in the northern parts of Pakistan. The scientific name for the disease is cutaneous leishmaniasis and it is common in the developing world, usually afflicting the poorest sections of the population.
The disease is caused by the bite of the female sandfly and manifests itself in the form of lesions, or sores, on exposed body parts such as the face, neck and arms. The social stigma associated with this infection is great, especially for women living in these conservative societies, where the slightest disfiguration can mean a lifetime of isolation and ridicule.
The INSPIRE partnership between the University of Peshawar and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is carrying out research to study the properties of drugs used to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis. The aim of the project is to establish a cell culture laboratory in the department of zoology at the University of Peshawar. This will be a first-of-its-kind facility in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region and students from all over the province can benefit from it. Experiments on skin cells will be carried out to investigate the properties of the drugs and to determine their reaction on the affected cells.
The project will also promote the exchange of information and strengthen the existing links between British and Pakistani scientists.
The research will have far-reaching implications for the rural population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the majority of which lives in remote areas beyond the scope of national health programmes.
Lessons learnt:
The interaction between the UK and the Pakistani teams has reaped many benefits, such as the exchange of knowledge and transfer of new ideas. The visit of the Pakistani team to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine allowed them to work in state-of-the-art labs and learn from published results to create an efficient pathway to bring scientific innovation from the lab to the people who need it the most.
Challenges faced:
The security situation in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region was a concern for the UK researchers.
The impact/benefits of the project:
The staff and students at the University of Peshawar have learnt of new developments in experimental design, cell culture, molecular techniques and molecular diagnosis. A major achievement is the establishment of a modern cell culture lab at the University of Peshawar.
Key contacts:
Dr. Colin Sutherland, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
colin.sutherland@lshtm.ac.uk, www.lshtm.ac.uk/
Dr. Akram Shah, University of Peshawar
Akram_shah@upesh.edu.pk, www.upesh.edu.pk/
