Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme - Core Award

A hospital laboratory in Malawi is tackling the continent’s deadliest infections—sepsis, meningitis, diarrhoea, and pneumonia—by testing vaccines, behavioural changes, and clinical management strategies directly in the communities where patients live. This matters because sub-Saharan Africa carries a disproportionate burden of severe infections and chronic diseases, yet most research happens far from the front lines. The Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Programme is built inside the country’s largest hospital, linked to surrounding communities and the medical school—a setup replicated in few African centres. It targets two major problems: preventing death from severe infection, and reducing transmission of HIV, TB, and malaria through better access to care, diagnosis, and treatment. If successful, the programme could shift how hospitals and clinics across the region manage these conditions, saving lives without requiring expensive new infrastructure. A strategic initiative also tackles high-burden chronic diseases linked to HIV—lung impairment, stroke, and blindness—which are often neglected in resource-limited settings. The programme will continue publishing over 100 papers per year, train local and international senior scientists, and feed findings directly into Malawi’s Ministry of Health policy, ensuring research translates into real-world care.