27 Jan Addressing Global Health Issues Through Targeted Research

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Understanding the Disparities in Health Concerns
• The Basics of Targeted Medical Research
• Strategic Approaches
• Key Focus Areas
• Conclusion 

 

The world has become so interconnected these days that health challenges know no boundaries. The COVID-19 pandemic is a great example of how a regional concern can quickly become a worldwide problem.

Global health issues affect communities in profound ways—from emerging infectious diseases to the rising burden of chronic conditions. To address these challenges, targeted medical research plays a crucial role in understanding and developing solutions.

But have you ever considered how researchers determine which health issues to prioritize and how to develop solutions that work across different contexts? You’re about to discover the answers in this blog.

Understanding the Disparities in Health Concerns

When looking at worldwide health challenges, you’ll quickly notice they’re not distributed equally across the world. Some countries struggle with infectious diseases that have been controlled elsewhere, while others face a rising tide of lifestyle-related conditions. Several factors are to blame for such differences, including genetic variations, local healthcare delivery systems, resource utilization, and the prevailing customs in every country.

In many parts of Africa and Asia, for instance, communicable diseases like pneumonia and malaria continue to claim countless lives. In more progressive regions like North America and Europe, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) top the list of health concerns.

According to the World Health Organization, NCDs accounted for 73.9% share of worldwide deaths, with communicable diseases capturing 18.2 per cent in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, drove the figures higher at 23% and 28.1% in 2020 and 2021, respectively. COVID was among the top five causes of fatalities in all regions except for the Western Pacific and Africa in the said period. (1)

Regional differences often shape how researchers approach different health challenges. However, most studies start with teams exploring the best medical research topics through online and offline sources. And through careful analysis of patterns, they can direct clinical research efforts where they’re most needed. This systematic approach ensures that available resources are focused on addressing the most pressing health concerns.

The Basics of Targeted Medical Research

Targeted medical research is a strategic approach to investigating health challenges. Resources and expertise focus on specific diseases, populations, and health outcomes. The approach covers everything from studying genetic variations in different populations, conducting clinical trials, and developing treatments in limited-resource settings.

The foundational elements of targeted medical research rests on various aspects, including:

• Conducting thorough epidemiological studies to understand disease patterns in specific populations or locations.
• Data-driven decision making, where scientists  analyze health statistics, demographics data, and socioeconomic indicators to identify where their efforts could make the most significant impact.
• Identifying the most appropriate research approaches to capture high-quality data. Community-based participatory research is a common study modality. In some cases, though, teams can use an adaptive clinical trial design to modify studies based on interim results.
• Optimizing available resources. Apart from focusing on interventions that work, research teams must also think about feasible and sustainable solutions in a given context.
• Measuring impact and adapting based on results. Scientists continuously monitor health outcomes and adjust their protocols based on treatment effectiveness.

Unlike broad-based research, a targeted one prioritizes issues that have a significant impact on communities and regions. The goal is to understand a specific concern and develop practical and implementable solutions.

Think of it as precision medicine on a global scale. Just as doctors craft targeted therapies for individuals, researchers tailor their investigations to address specific challenges in particular contexts.

Take, for example, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a government-funded agency that zeroes in on cancer research and training. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and some parts of the world. The latest government data show about 608,366 Americans died of this condition in 2022. Over 1.7 million new cases were likewise reported in 2021. (2)

While these figures seem alarming, the NCI said new cancer cases and deaths have been declining in recent years. The number of survivors has doubled from seven million in 1992 to 15 million in 2016—a figure that’s likely to reach 26 million by 2040. (3)

Strategic Approaches

When tackling global health challenges, having a clear strategy makes all the difference. It’s a roadmap that helps researchers navigate through a complex terrain while making the most out of limited resources.

Priority Setting

Imagine you’re in charge of allocating research funds. Would you focus on developing new treatments or improving existing interventions for common conditions? Researchers face difficult decisions daily. The World Health Organization (WHO) has a research priority-setting framework that helps guide these decisions. With the help of sophisticated tools, clinical researchers can analyze disease burden, cost-effectiveness, and potential impact to make informed choices.

When addressing childhood pneumonia, for example, researchers might prioritize diagnostic tools over new antibiotics if many deaths occur because cases aren’t detected early enough. Additionally, a research project that saves thousands of lives often takes precedence over more expensive interventions with limited reach.

Disease Burden Analysis

When was the last time you heard about a disease outbreak in the news? While such events capture headlines, they’re just one piece of a complex puzzle.

Here’s a glaring example: A child in Sierra Leone might need protection from malaria, but a middle-aged adult in the United States might be more concerned about preventing heart disease and cancer. At the same time, tropical zone countries in Southeast Asia and South America are grappling with dengue fever. Understanding these regional patterns helps researchers develop targeted interventions that address multiple concerns simultaneously.

Resource Distribution

You might have a well-equipped hospital nearby. But for millions of people worldwide, basic access to healthcare remains a daily challenge. The WHO estimated that over half of the world’s population, comprising 4.5 billion people, had no essential coverage in 2021. Moreover, 14% had costly medical bills, forcing 1.3 billion people into poverty with such payments. Surprisingly, the agency noted that NCD, maternal, neonatal, and child health services showed ‘little to no improvement’ since 2020. (4)

The gap between available resources and healthcare needs is often overwhelming. In many underprivileged countries, there might be one doctor for every 10,000 people. This affects everything from diagnostic capabilities to treatment options. The same holds for diagnostic tools. While imaging and other medical advancements are standard in developed nations, many regions lack electricity, let alone sophisticated medical equipment and targeted therapy drugs.

Researchers consider these constraints when developing new interventions, ensuring their solutions are both practical and effective in settings where resources are limited. Point-of-care diagnostic tests that don’t require electricity or specialized training are an example of how targeted research addresses resource gaps.

Research Methodologies

You can’t use a one-size-fits-all approach when studying issues across all populations. That’s why researchers employ various methodologies that fit different contexts. Implementation research, for instance, helps understand how interventions work in real-life settings rather than in controlled laboratory conditions.

Consider a vaccine study in rural Africa. Researchers need to account for factors like limited refrigeration, transportation challenges, and local beliefs about medicine. These specific considerations then guide how they design and conduct their proposed study.

Key Focus Areas

Identifying where to focus research efforts is key to maximizing impact. Following the WHO study on universal healthcare challenges mentioned above, research priorities can be pinpointed to areas where targeted investigation will make the most difference.

Infectious Disease Research

People around the world have become more aware of the importance of researching infectious diseases. Even before the pandemic hit, scientists had already been racing to understand how emerging pathogens work while battling longtime conditions like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis.

Researchers are currently developing new antibiotics while also finding ways to use existing ones more effectively. Some researchers are exploring the nuances of antimicrobial resistance, which reduces the efficacy of drug treatments and may lead to fatalities in some cases. Despite gaining significant developments, the field requires more research.

Non-Communicable Diseases

Infectious diseases often grab attention, but non-communicable diseases likewise claim millions of lives worldwide each year. Research in this area focuses on prevention as much as treatment. Scientists have so far recognized that lifestyle changes can significantly impact health outcomes.

This, however, doesn’t stop researchers from exploring other factors, like how the body works and responds to treatments. For instance, a recent study has discovered that a certain cytokine promotes immunotherapy resistance among patients with ovarian cancer, making it an important discovery for other clinicians working on a new cancer treatment.

Maternal and Child Health

Nothing highlights the importance of targeted research, quite like maternal and child health. Despite significant progress, pregnancy-related complications remain a leading cause of death in many parts of the world.

About 287, 000 global maternal deaths were recorded by the United Nations in 2020. While lower than the 309,000 estimates in 2016, the agency reported some instances of stagnation or reversal in some areas. The most surprising figures come from European and North American regions, where figures increased by 17% and 15% in 2016 and 2020. (5)

Newborns aren’t spared from the risk of early death, either. Figures from UNICEF stated that 2.3 million infants died in the first month of 2022, marking 6,300 neonatal deaths daily. (6)

Efforts to turn this around have been ongoing for decades. These days, technology plays a key role in helping researchers develop innovative solutions. Simple phone apps can track pregnancy risks while new approaches for preventing childhood malnutrition are likewise in effect. These interventions often have to work in areas with limited resources, calling for more practical solutions from creative researchers.

Implementation Challenges and Solutions

The path to linking research findings to real-world impact isn’t always straightforward. There are several challenges to consider, but these two are the most common. Here’s how to address them:

• Research infrastructure: Building research capacity in low-resource environments is like building a house. You need to have a solid foundation. This means training local researchers, establishing laboratories, and developing systems for collecting and analyzing data. The African Research Excellence Fund is a great example, as it supports researchers in the region instead of relying on international practitioners.

• Ethical considerations: Scientists must navigate different belief systems, languages, and acceptance of medical concepts. In some communities, for instance, there’s no direct translation for depression, or it might be considered taboo. Conducting a mental health study means finding culturally appropriate ways to discuss and explore such conditions while ensuring participants fully understand what they’re agreeing to.

No single organization can address global health challenges alone. That’s why collaboration is key to success in medical research. International partnerships bring together expertise and resources from different parts of the world. These alliances amplify the efficiency and impact of medical research initiatives, including clinical trials.

Concluding Thoughts

Addressing global health challenges through targeted research is a complex but crucial endeavor. It’s fraught with challenges that the scientific community can address by thinking outside of the box. Innovative thinking, contextual and cultural sensitivity, and unwavering commitment are all keys to success as a researcher.

Ultimately, the future of global health depends not just on breakthrough discoveries but on the collective ability to implement and scale solutions that work for all communities regardless of resources or location.

Citations

1. ‘World health statistics 2024’, Source: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/376869/9789240094703-eng.pdf?sequence=1 (See 3rd and 4th paragraphs under ‘Key messages’).
2. ‘Cancer Data and Statistics’, Source: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/data/index.html#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%20in%202021%2C%201%2C777%2C566%20new%20cancer%20cases%20were%20reported.%20In%20the%20United%20States%20in%202022%2C%20608%2C366%20people%20died%20of%20cancer.%0A%0A2021%20is%20the%20latest%20year%20for%20which%20cancer%20incidence%20data%20are%20available%3B%202022%20is%20the%20latest%20year%20for%20which%20cancer%20death%20data%20are%20available.
3. ‘National Cancer Institute’, Source: https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/nih-almanac/national-cancer-institute-nci#:~:text=Our%20investments%20have,than%20ever%20before.
4. ‘Billions left behind on the path to universal healthcare coverage’. Source: https://www.who.int/news/item/18-09-2023-billions-left-behind-on-the-path-to-universal-health-coverage#:~:text=Slowing%20expansion%20of,in%20extreme%20poverty.
5. ‘A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth: UN agencies’, Source: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/02/23/a-woman-dies-every-two-minutes-due-to-pregnancy-or-childbirth-un-agencies#:~:text=The%20report%2C%20which,across%20the%20world.
6. ‘Neonatal mortality’, Source: https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/neonatal-mortality/#:~:text=Children%20face%20the,deaths%20every%20day.

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Last Updated on January 27, 2025 by Marie Benz MD FAAD