James Cheaveau

Biography

James joined the Cumming School of Medicine, at the University of Calgary as a master’s student in September 2018 after taking a break from his internal medicine residency. He is currently working under the supervision of Dr. Dylan Pillai, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.  In 2015, James received a diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene from University of Liverpool; in 2011, a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree from; and in 2007, a Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Pharmacology degree, both from University College London.

James’s current project is: “A prospective study of the impact of molecular diagnosis of malaria on maternal and fetal outcomes.” 

Malaria in pregnancy is one of the major public health problems in sub-Saharan Africa. It contributes significantly to maternal and fetal anemia, along with intrauterine growth restriction. It is estimated that in areas where malaria is endemic, around 19% of infant low birth weights are due to malaria and 6% of infant deaths are due to low birth weights caused by malaria.  Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and microscopy form the mainstay of malaria diagnostics, particularly in low and middle income countries. This is despite the fact that they can only detect a minimum of around 500,000 parasites/ml. Due to this, the sensitivity of these current diagnostics is poor, particularly in pregnancy where the parasites sequester in the placenta. Loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has a proven high sensitivity due to its low limit of detection - below 1 parasite/ml. It can achieve a diagnosis and around an hour, requires no electricity, limited training and the cost is comparable to the current testing techniques. Additionally, unlike RDTs, LAMP can detect all species of malaria and is not prone histidine-rich protein 2/3 deletions which lead to false negative results. Our primary objective is to assess whether a screen and treat policy using LAMP for malaria in pregnancy leads to improved maternal and fetal outcomes. The secondary objective is to assess the diagnostic performance of LAMP in pregnant women.

Publications

“Clinical validation of a commercial LAMP test for ruling out malaria in returning travelers: A prospective diagnostic trial.” Open Forum Infectious Diseases, ofy260. James Cheaveau, Hong Nguyen, Barbara Chow, Dewdunee Marasinghe, Abu Naser Mohon, Hong Yuan, Gisele Viana, Donelly van Schalkwyk, Deirdre Church, Wilson Chan, Dylan R Pillai. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofy260