Five Years After its Creation, ISGlobal Has Consolidated its Position as a European Leader in Global Health Research

The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)—considered one of Europe's leading global health centres—celebrated its fifth anniversary on Friday, 4 December. Antoni Plasència, director of ISGlobal, Jaume Giró, CEO of the "la Caixa" Foundation and Pedro L. Alonso, director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Malaria Programme, presented ISGlobal's achievements as well as the future challenges facing the Institute.

ISGlobal was created in February 2010 through an initiative of the "la Caixa" Foundation with the support of the Catalan and Spanish governments, the Hospital Clínic, and the University of Barcelona. Over the past five years, ISGlobal has become one of Europe's leading global health centres and has played a key role in major advances in the field of malaria research. The Institute is now growing and expanding its scientific agenda. Functioning as a hub of science and knowledge translation, ISGlobal is based in Barcelona but operates globally in order to have a direct impact on the world's most vulnerable populations. ISGlobal currently has 136 projects underway in more than 40 countries. 

ISGlobal: a key player in progress in the global fight against malaria

The appointment of ISGlobal's founder and first director, Pedro L. Alonso, as the director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme has enhanced the Institute's international reputation and raised the profile of its work in the field of malaria elimination. Under Alonso's leadership, the WHO approved its Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030, which aims to consolidate gains and accelerate efforts to eliminate malaria. This new WHO strategy is fully aligned with the ISGlobal's Malaria Elimination Initiative, which was launched with the firm belief that the only long-term, sustainable solution is the complete elimination of the malaria parasite from countries where it is endemic.

In 2014, the "la Caixa" Foundation and ISGlobal launched the "la Caixa" Against Malaria programme to support an innovative strategy in Mozambique that will contribute to global efforts to eliminate the disease. By gathering scientific evidence on whether the current strategy, based on vector control and the use of available drugs, is applicable in a high-endemicity country, the programme will contribute information of great value to the WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria.

ISGlobal also leads the Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance (MESA), which is dedicated to advancing the science of malaria elimination. MESA creates tools for increasing the impact of relevant scientific results and supports research, particularly in key areas for the implementation of elimination programmes. 

An innovative model that emphasises the translation of science to society

ISGlobal's model emphasises the positive impact of science on society and its role as a transformative instrument. ISGlobal's mission goes beyond the generation of scientific evidence. The Institute fosters a virtuous cycle that encompasses knowledge, action and impact on health. This approach has led to some of the Institute's greatest translational achievements, including the creation of the Global Chagas Disease Coalition. This alliance works to improve access to diagnosis and treatment among Chagas patients, fewer than 1% of whom are currently receiving treatment.

ISGlobal has also had unprecedented success in the fight against yaws, another neglected disease. After a study led by ISGlobal researchers demonstrated the efficacy of an oral treatment for yaws, the WHO adopted the objective of eradicating the disease by 2020. One of the study's authors is currently a member of the WHO working group coordinating the yaws eradication campaign.

ISGlobal also works to build the capacities of health professionals and to strengthen health care and educational institutions in low-income countries in order to help to improve the health of the world's most vulnerable populations, especially in the area of maternal and infant health. In addition to its continuous training project in Mozambique, ISGlobal has trained 369 health professionals in Morocco and more than 500 in Bolivia over the past five years.

Future challenges 

ISGlobal is committed to maintaining excellence in research and quality standards. The Institute has developed a growth strategy with the aim of expanding its scientific agenda and enhancing synergies between the research agenda on transmissible diseases and the agenda on chronic diseases and their relationship to the environment. ISGlobal is in the process of merging with the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) with the aim of consolidating a world-class centre for research and knowledge translation in global health. As part of this process, prestigious institutions such as Pompeu Fabra University and Mar Health Park are also being incorporated into ISGlobal's governance bodies.

Antoni Plasència commented on the new phase that ISGlobal is now entering: "Diseases don't recognise borders. In order to fight diseases successfully, we need institutions of excellence that have a strong international presence and which, like ISGlobal, use a work model that emphasises the positive impact of research and knowledge translation as instruments of transformation. The progress we have made over the last five years has earned us credibility and trust, so we can keep growing by building on the solid foundation of our past work. The strategic integration of CREAL will enhance the synergies between the research agenda on transmissible diseases and the agenda on chronic diseases and their relationship to the environment."