Global collaborations in leprosy research – the future is connected

Abstract

Collaboration between endemic and non-endemic partners has always been essential for leprosy research: patients and clinical knowledge are mainly found in endemic countries, whereas technical advances and opportunities are usually first available in non-endemic countries. During the period 1976–1995 the WHO IMMLEP and THELEP Special Programmes provided forums for the melding of basic and field research and resulted in great advances, particular in the application of immunological and molecular approaches to control of leprosy. However, nowadays the opportunities for leprosy researchers involved in more basic research to interact are few with a limited number of dedicated meetings. Even at the International Congresses held every 5 years, the balance is quite rightly in favour of leprosy control over basic research. Meanwhile leprosy research has been facing two major challenges. Firstly, the decline in global leprosy case detection rates has had the same effect on leprosy research funding as on the provision of leprosy diagnostic services: dedicated leprosy research funding is thin on the ground, although invaluable support is still provided by the non-governmental anti-leprosy organisations represented in the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP). Secondly, there has been a huge increase in funding for tuberculosis research. With the similarities between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae, many researchers who previously worked exclusively on leprosy have found the balance of their research on mycobacteria tipping increasingly towards tuberculosis. In the last 10 years there has been another change occurring in the funding of infectious diseases research. Smaller European Community-funded mycobacterial research networks