Research in SE Asia

The Wellcome Trust's South-east Asia Unit, which began life in Thailand in 1979, is led by Professor Nick White, a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow.

Refugees, drug-resistance and guerrilla attacks: 20 years in the fight against malaria

When François Nosten set up a malaria research unit in his own home on the border of Thailand and Burma back in 1986, he could scarcely have anticipated how successful - and how dangerous - his work would prove to be.

South-east Asia scientific programme

Research into tropical infections in Thailand and Vietnam by the Wellcome Trust South-east Asia Programme.

Overview of the South-east Asia programme

The Wellcome Trust's programme in South-east Asia is carrying out research to facilitate the improvement of the diagnosis, management and prevention of tropical diseases.

South-east Asia: key achievements

Achievements by the Wellcome Trust South-east Asia Programme include the pioneering of artemisinin-based therapies in severe malaria.

Trials show artesunate is more effective than quinine

The largest clinical trial ever conducted into the treatment of severe malaria in adults has found that using artesunate, medication derived from a Chinese herb, reduced the number of deaths by more than a third when compared with quinine, the most popularly used treatment.

Maternal malaria researcher wins prestigious international prize

Groundbreaking research into treating malaria infections in pregnant women has earned international recognition for Professor Francois Nosten, Director of the Wellcome Trust-funded Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) in Thailand.

Developing artemisinin

A yellowing, dog-eared copy of a Chinese research paper led the Wellcome Trust team in South-east Asia to the antimalarial drug artemisinin, now being used with great success in Thailand.