Global tropical medicine institution specialising in vector-borne disease control, health systems strengthening in Africa, and neglected disease therapeutics.
LSTM is one of the world's oldest institutions dedicated to tropical medicine, focusing on infectious disease control, health systems strengthening, and vector-borne disease research across Africa and Asia. Their H2020 work spans malaria diagnostics and insecticide resistance monitoring, community-based tuberculosis case-finding, and decentralised management of chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension in African health systems. They also contribute specialist expertise in snakebite therapy development and insect vector biology. Their practical orientation — building diagnostic platforms, training district health managers, scaling up disease services — distinguishes them from purely laboratory-based institutions.
DMC-MALVEC (malaria diagnostics and insecticide resistance), INFRAVEC2 (vector research infrastructure for mosquitoes, sandflies, tsetse), and ADDovenom (snakebite therapy) all address diseases transmitted by insects or venomous animals.
Perform2Scale focuses on district-level health management capacity in Africa, while INTE-AFRICA integrates diabetes and hypertension services into existing HIV care systems.
IMPACT TB implemented community-based TB screening interventions in Vietnam and Nepal, coordinated by LSTM.
DMC-MALVEC developed automated diagnostic platforms and data management for malaria, while INFRAVEC2 provided vector research infrastructure including malaria-relevant species.
ADDovenom applies protein engineering and Darwinian in vitro selection to develop affordable snakebite antivenoms — a newer direction for LSTM within H2020.
LSTM's early H2020 work (2016–2018) centred on malaria-specific tools — diagnostic platforms, insecticide resistance databases, and bednet management — alongside district-level health workforce development in Africa. From 2019 onward, the focus broadened: vector biology expanded beyond malaria to include arboviruses (Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya, Rift Valley Fever) and a wider range of insect vectors, while health systems work shifted to integrating chronic disease services (diabetes, hypertension) with existing HIV care. The ADDovenom project (2020) signals a new frontier in therapeutic protein engineering for neglected tropical diseases.
LSTM is expanding from malaria-centric work toward a wider neglected tropical disease portfolio and chronic disease management in low-resource settings, making them increasingly relevant for global health partnerships beyond traditional infectious disease projects.
LSTM splits evenly between coordinating and participating — they led 3 of 6 projects, showing confidence in managing international consortia while also contributing specialist knowledge to others' initiatives. With 56 unique partners across 28 countries, they operate an exceptionally wide network for their project count, indicating they build fresh consortia rather than recycling the same partners. This makes them an accessible partner: they are experienced consortium leaders who are also comfortable in supporting roles.
LSTM has collaborated with 56 distinct partners across 28 countries — an unusually broad network for six projects, reflecting their global health mission spanning Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and European research institutions.
LSTM brings a rare combination: deep tropical medicine expertise rooted in over a century of fieldwork, combined with strong operational capacity in low- and middle-income countries where they maintain long-standing partnerships. Unlike laboratory-focused institutions, their projects consistently include implementation components — scaling diagnostics, training health workers, decentralising services — which means they can take research from bench to community. For consortium builders, LSTM offers both scientific credibility in neglected tropical diseases and proven ability to deliver field-based interventions in Africa and Asia.
