Even though iCubed is a small research laboratory located in Providence, Rhode Island, the work our scientists do often affects the health and wellbeing of people around the world. Through their research and humanitarian work, our researchers have aided in the education and prevention of many different life-treating diseases all over the globe, and we feel that World Health day is the perfect occasion to celebrate all they do.

As written about previously, our founder here at iCubed, Dr. Annie De Groot recently spent a great deal of her time not only studying the lack of education on HPV in her own community, but she also worked with Rhode Island School of Design student, Eliza Squibb to create a social media campaign that would educate women in West Africa about preventing HPV and cervical cancer through vaccination. Although important, the contributions made to improving global health do not end with the work of De Groot.

Dr. Alan Rothman has also been working hard to keep people healthy in Southeast Asia. He researches dengue, a virus for which there is currently no vaccine. Over the course of his career, Dr. Rothman has worked alongside international researchers to find a vaccine that would have the potential to prevent approximately 100 million people from contracting the virus annually, and could prevent up to 22,000 deaths, 90% of which are children. In March 2015, Rothman and colleges published a study that began over 20 years ago in 1994: “Sequential Dengue Virus Infections Detected in Active and Passive Surveillance Programs in Thailand, 1994-2010.” This study analyzed a dataset collected over the course of seventeen years, and concluded that prior dengue infection is positively correlated with a more severe second infection. To read more about the lifesaving work Alan is doing around the world, click here.

In addition to the work of Dr. De Groot and Dr. Rothman, Dr. Barbara Payne has also contributed to creating a healthier world. In 2014, Payne and colleagues published an article entitled, “Tuberculosis interferon-gamma responses in the breast milk of human immunodeficiency virus infected mothers” which explored the possibility of viruses, specifically Tuberculosis, being passed along to children of mothers infected with HIV and TB. According to the CDC, HIV affects more than 1.2 million people in the United States alone, and this number continues to go up when looking at statistics from around the world. Payne’s research presents the opportunity to know more about this disease along with possibly finding a way to keep younger generations safe from infection.

Although iCubed may be a small laboratory in a small state, the lab certainly contributes to worldwide health every day, and deserves to be celebrated on World Health day.

 

HIV in the United States: At a Glance. (2014, November 25). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/basics/ataglance.html

 

Payne, B., Cranmer, L., Kanyugo, M., Tapia, K., & John-Stewart, G. (2014, December 5). DigitalCommons@URI. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/immunology_facpubs/18/

 

Rothman, A., Yoon, I., Nisalak, A., Bhoomiboonchoo, P., Chansatiporn, N., & Green, S. (2015, March 14). DigitalCommons@URI. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/immunology_facpubs/30/