Scientific Views

“The HIV pandemic continues to impact children around the world, and it’s our ethical and scientific duty to seek not just treatment, but a cure. EPIICAL has put the spotlight on some very important problems that persist in sub-Saharan Africa, such as the persistent high mortality rates despite early treatment and the complex factors contributing to this.”

Building upon its established legacy, Penta’s collaborative and innovative research unfolds through partnerships with academia, industry, and the wider community to address the persistent challenges posed by infectious diseases in pregnant people, infants, children, and adolescents. 

The recent global COVID-19 pandemic has starkly revealed the necessity for a fortified research preparedness framework. In this article, Evelina Tacconelli (University of Verona, Italy) reflects on Penta’s role in fortifying research preparedness for future health challenges impacting pregnant people, children and adolescents.

As we conclude the 2020-2024 strategic period, it’s a moment for reflection on Penta’s remarkable journey. This period, unexpectedly marked by a global pandemic, tested our agility and reinforced our commitment to improving the health of children and in pregnancy. This review offers a strategic overview of our achievements and lessons learnt, providing insight into our organisational evolution.

2023 marked a year of significant progress for Penta. In the face of ongoing infectious disease challenges, our team leveraged innovative approaches and fostered strong collaborations to deliver impactful outcomes.

This article was written by Alasdair Bamford and Anna Turkova, senior researchers at MRCCTU at University College London and Penta ID Network members. It is taken from Penta’s 2023 Annual Social Report.

In this interview, we speak with Prof. Ali Judd, who co-chairs Penta’s Scientific Committee and is a renowned expert in paediatric infectious diseases. Dr. Judd is playing a key role in shaping Penta’s approach to emerging infections and child health.

In this article, Dr. Alasdair Bamford and Dr. Anna Turkova, both senior researchers at MRCCTU at University College London and Penta, offer valuable insights into Penta’s impactful strategies.

This article was written by Eleanor Namusoke Magongo, Team Lead Pediatrics and Adolescent HIV Care & Treatment AIDS Control Program, Ministry of Health Uganda. It is taken from Penta’s 2022 Annual Social Report.

This article was written by Laura Mangiarini, Penta Foundation Chief Operations Officer. It is taken from Penta’s 2022 Annual Social Report.

This article was written by Philippa Musoke, Penta ID Network ODYSSEY Co-investigator in Uganda. It is taken from Penta’s 2022 Annual Social Report.

Hilda Angela Mujuru, member of the Penta ID Network, gives an account of HIV in children in the early days, and highlights the importance of Penta’s work in improving the lives of children with HIV.

Paolo Palma talks about Covid-19 vaccines and the absence of an HIV cure.

Prof. Timo Vesikari, a vaccine specialist, answers some questions around the research on COVID-19 vaccines and the implications they may have on children.

Pablo Rojo, and Anna Turkova – members of Penta ID network have provided some rationale, and highlighted some challenges related to including adolescents in HIV clinical phase 3 trials of antiretroviral drugs in their co-authored commentary in the Journal of the International AIDS Society.

On July 9th 2020, Martina Penazzato presented at the plenary session on Pediatric HIV at the 23rd International AIDS Conference.
We met with her and asked for her thoughts on what Penta can do to continue the fight against paediatric HIV, particularly in light of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Antimicrobial resistance is responsible for half of all sepsis-related deaths in newborns in hospital. Babies which survive these type of infections face the possibility of neurodevelopment deficits. There is an urgent need to prioritized neonatal infection research in terms of diagnosis, prevention and treatment options for severe neonatal bacterial infections.

The burden of neonatal sepsis is particularly felt in India: incidence and fatality rate are very high if compared to high resource countries. Moreover, causative agents are often multidrug-resistant bugs. Policy makers, researchers, funders must work together to find the answers needed to improve clinical outcome of newborns in low-resource settings.