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Julian HengJulian Heng is Program Manager for the infection and Intervention Disease Modelling (iIDM) laboratory at The Kids Research Institute Australia.
Research
Seasonal malaria chemoprevention and the spread of Plasmodium falciparum quintuple-mutant parasites resistant to sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine: a modelling studySeasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine prevents millions of clinical malaria cases in children younger than 5 years in Africa's Sahel region. However, Plasmodium falciparum parasites partially resistant to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (with quintuple mutations) potentially threaten the protective effectiveness of SMC. We evaluated the spread of quintuple-mutant parasites and the clinical consequences.
Research
Efficacy thresholds and target populations for antiviral COVID-19 treatments to save lives and costs: a modelling studyIn 2023 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared endemic, yet hospital admissions have persisted and risen within populations at high and moderate risk of developing severe disease, which include those of older age, and those with co-morbidities. Antiviral treatments, currently only available for high-risk individuals, play an important role in preventing severe disease and hospitalisation within this subpopulation.
Research
Severe outcomes of malaria in children under time-varying exposureIn malaria epidemiology, interpolation frameworks based on available observations are critical for policy decisions and interpreting disease burden. Updating our understanding of the empirical evidence across different populations, settings, and timeframes is crucial to improving inference for supporting public health.
The Intervention and Infectious Disease Modelling group informs development and implementation of drugs, medical treatments and non-medical interventions to effectively tackle disease. They build mathematical models of diseases, designed to take into account the complex constellation of interactions between pathogens, humans, diseases, the environment and entire healthcare systems.
Research
Design and selection of drug properties to increase the public health impact of next-generation seasonal malaria chemoprevention: a modelling studySeasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is recommended for disease control in settings with moderate to high Plasmodium falciparum transmission and currently depends on the administration of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine.
People
Epke Annelie Le RutteDr. Epke Le Rutte is a veterinarian specialised in infectious disease control, with a PhD in human neglected tropical disease (NTD) control and elimination. She worked as a postdoc at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam the Netherlands as part of the NTD-modelling consortium, supporting policy makers with the elimination of vis
Research
Intervention effect of targeted workplace closures may be approximated by single-layered networks in an individual-based model of COVID-19 controlIndividual-based models of infectious disease dynamics commonly use network structures to represent human interactions. Network structures can vary in complexity, from single-layered with homogeneous mixing to multi-layered with clustering and layer-specific contact weights. Here we assessed policy-relevant consequences of network choice by simulating different network structures within an established individual-based model of SARS-CoV-2 dynamics.