Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Dec;5(2):020405.
doi: 10.7189/jogh.05.020405.

Investments in sexually transmitted infection research, 1997-2013: a systematic analysis of funding awarded to UK institutions

Michael G Head  1 , Joseph R Fitchett  2 , Jackie A Cassell  3 , Rifat Atun  4
Affiliations

Investments in sexually transmitted infection research, 1997-2013: a systematic analysis of funding awarded to UK institutions

Michael G Head et al. J Glob Health. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Background: We report the first study that analyses public and philanthropic investments awarded to UK institutions for research related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Methods: We systematically searched award data from the major funders for information on all infectious disease research funding awarded in 1997-2013. The STI-related projects were identified and categorised by pathogen, disease and type of science along the research pipeline from preclinical to translational research.

Findings: We identified 7393 infection-related awards with total investment of GBP 3.5 billion. Of these, 1238 awards (16.7%) covering funding of GBP 719.1 million (20.5%) were for STI research. HIV as an STI received GBP 465 million across 719 studies; non-HIV STIs received GBP 139 million across 378 studies. The Medical Research Council provided greatest investment (GBP 193 million for HIV, GBP 45 million for non-HIV STIs). Preclinical awards totalled GBP 233 million (37.1%), whilst translational research received GBP 286 million (39.7%). Substantial proportions of HIV investment addressed global health research (GBP 265 million), vaccinology (GBP 110 million) and therapeutics (GBP 202 million). For other STIs, investments focused on diagnostics (GBP 45 million) and global health (GBP 27 million). Human Papilloma Virus research received GBP 58 million and chlamydia GBP 24 million. Funding for non-HIV STIs has declined in the three most recent years of this data set.

Conclusions: The investment for HIV research awarded to UK institutions correlates with the high global burden, but other STIs are relatively neglected, including gonorrhoea and syphilis. Future STI funding should be better aligned with burden while addressing the emerging risk of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and outbreaks of other pathogens.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Investments on HIV (A) and other sexually–transmitted infection (B) research awarded to the UK over time and by type of science (x1 HIV and x2 STI cross–disciplinary studies not shown here).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Murray CJ, Vos T, Lozano R, Naghavi M, Flaxman AD, Michaud C, et al. Disability–adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380:2197–223. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61689-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Murray CJ, Ortblad KF, Guinovart C, Lim SS, Wolock TM, Roberts DA, et al. Global, regional, and national incidence and mortality for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria during 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2014;384:1005–70. - PMC - PubMed
    1. HIV/AIDS/STI UWG on G. Strategies and laboratory methods for strengthening surveillance of sexually transmitted infection 2012. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2012. Available: http://apps.who.int//iris/handle/10665/75729. Accessed: 8 January 2015.
    1. Sonnenberg P, Clifton S, Beddows S, Field N, Soldan K, Tanton C, et al. Prevalence, risk factors, and uptake of interventions for sexually transmitted infections in Britain: findings from the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal). Lancet. 2013;382:1795–806. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61947-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Health Protection Agency. Sexually transmitted infections and chlamydia screening in England, 2012. Available: http://www.hpa.org.uk/hpr/archives/2013/hpr2313.pdf. Accessed: 20 March 2014.

LinkOut - more resources