A New DOLF Publication Highlights Promising New Results in Support of Onchocerciasis Elimination
Onchocerciasis (“river blindness”), a parasitic disease that leads to debilitating and stigmatizing ailments, has been targeted by the World Health Organization for elimination. New drug treatments that kill or permanently sterilize female worms could accelerate this process. The DOLF team, together with our partners at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ghana […]
Welcome to DOLF’s new Postdoctoral Research Associate- Dr. Adebiyi Adeniran
Adebiyi is a molecular entomologist and molecular parasitologist with over a decade of Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) research and control program experience in sub-Saharan Africa and in Mexico. Adebiyi has previously worked as the Regional Technical Lead for NTD diagnostics for Sightsavers UK, where he provided technical and advisory support to NTD control programs in […]
DOLF Presentations – ASTMH Meeting
DOLF Presentations at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (Virtual, November 2021) Symposium: Clinical development of new treatments to support the global elimination of onchocerciasis. GJ Weil, C Hanson, N Opoku, A Hoerauf, S. Specht, M Sullivan. Coverage and impact of a single dose of ivermectin, DEC and albendazole […]
Highlighting DOLF Publications
First Half of 2021 Eneanya OA, Koudou BG, Aboulaye M, Elvis AA, Souleymane Y, Kouakou MM, Weil GJ, Fischer PU. Progress towards onchocerciasis elimination in Côte d’Ivoire: A geospatial modelling study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Feb 10;15(2):e0009091. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0009091. eCollection 2021 Feb PMID: 33566805. This study reviewed dramatic improvements in onchocerciasis endemicity that have occurred […]
Publications from Clinical Trials
The DOLF project is pleased to share several recent publications from clinical trials and community studies of alternative treatments for lymphatic filariasis. All of these have been published with open access. The first two articles (by Campillo et al and Ouattara et al) provide further strong evidence in support of the WHO recommendation to use […]
The Role of Monkeys as a Reservoir for the Lymphatic Filarial Parasite Brugia malayi on Belitung Island, Indonesia
In May 2023 Irina Diekmann, a veterinarian and postdoc at Washington University, traveled to Belitung Island, Indonesia to assist Professor Taniawati Supali and her team at the Universitas Indonesia, trap crab-eating macaques for blood collection to determine if they are a potential animal reservoir of B. malayi. B. malayi, a filarial nematode and one of […]
DOLF Team Supports New Clinical Trial in Cote d’Ivoire
The DOLF Team Supports a New Clinical Trial in Côte d’Ivoire to Test Safety of Moxidectin in Regions co-Endemic to Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filiariasis Onchocerciasis (oncho), also known as river blindness, is a serious, debilitating, and stigmatizing parasitic disease. It is a major neglected tropical disease that causes severe skin disease and blindness in more […]
The DOLF Team’s 2022: Year in Review
As we look towards a new year, we wanted to share some highlights from 2022, a year that saw many new advances and developments in our research on Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) and Onchocerciasis (Oncho). LF research Cote d’Ivoire. In late winter, DOLF team members traveled to Côte d’Ivoire for 12-month follow-up visits for patients enrolled […]
DOLF and DOLF-Affiliated Researcher Presentations at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Conference
Monday, October 31, 2022 Presenter Session Name # Abstract Title Time Location Catherine Bjerum Session 9 – Filariasis – Clinical, Immunology, Diagnostics 35 Moxidectin combination therapy for lymphatic filariasis is superior to ivermectin plus albendazole for clearance of microfilaremia at 12 months post-treatment 8:00 – 8:15 am Convention Center – Room 611/612 Peter Fischer Session […]
Eleven DOLF Project publications on triple drug (IDA) mass drug administration for elimination of lymphatic filariasis have now been bundled as a PLoS Collection
PloS “Collections” are useful for readers and researchers alike, because provide easy access to related articles on high priority topics that have been published in PLoS journals at different times. This collection (published June 16, 2022) focuses on clinical trials and community studies of the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of the triple drug regimen IDA […]
DOLF Team receives a $1.8 million Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant to Explore Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination in Indonesia
Over a decade ago, Indonesia had one of the largest populations endemic for lymphatic filariasis (LF) in the world with 50% of the districts endemic for this mosquito borne disease. The country consists of 6,000 inhabited island and stretches over 3,000 miles from east to west. While some districts have eliminated LF by mass drug […]
The DOLF Team’s Work to Improve Prospects for Elimination of LF Featured in a Special Supplement Published in the Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. (March 2022)
The DOLF project (www.dolfproject.wustl.edu) led clinical trials and community studies of the safety and efficacy of a single-dose triple-drug therapy (IDA) for Lymphatic Filariasis (LF). IDA is now being used in mass drug administration (MDA) programs in many countries to accelerate LF elimination. This work was supported by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates […]
Development of new treatments for Riverblindness
Development of new treatments for Riverblindness: Facilitated histological assessment of Onchocerca volvulus nodules to detect treatment effects on adult worms Adult O. volvulus worms reside in subcutaneous nodules and can live up to 15 years. It requires special expert knowledge to differentiate natural morphological changes during its life span from changes induced by anti-filarial drugs […]
DOLF team to provide clinical care to men with hydrocele in Cote d’Ivoire
With support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and in partnership with the local partner Swiss Center for Scientific research in Cote d’Ivoire and the Ivorian National NTD Program, DOLF investigators helped organizing surgical hydrocelectomy training this week in Agboville, Cote d’Ivoire. Eight surgeons from various parts of Cote d’Ivoire, 2 nurses, and 2 […]
Welcome Betsy Abente, the DOLF Program’s new Global Health Program Manager for Administration and Finance
Joining the team in November, Betsy brings over 15 years of global health experience, including nearly a decade of research administration at Washington University to the team. In her previous role as Associate Director for the International Center for Child Health and Development, she helped develop and manage the center’s growing capacity building arm as […]