Research and Innovation

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine has led pioneering research into infectious and neglected diseases since 1898. Through life-changing science and education, we aim to improve health equity and strengthen responses in under-resourced communities.

Research profile

LSTM is a global leader in infection, tropical medicine and global health research. We lead translational research across the full pathway, from early discovery and laboratory science through to clinical trials, public health implementation and global policy change.

Our end-to-end approach ensures scientific breakthroughs are translated into real-world impact, improving health outcomes where they’re needed most.

Scientist in a white lab coat and blue glove holding up a test tube to inspect it in a laboratory, with equipment visible in the background.
An active research grant portfolio of

£750m​

Ranked

2nd

nationally ​for impact and 12th overall ​for REF 2021​
Over

500

active researchers with live research projects in 60 countries​
A trusted partner working with over

2,000

organisations across ​60 countries​

Centres of Excellence

Our Centres, Units and Institutes bring together leading experts across disciplines to tackle complex global health challenges. These specialist groups drive collaborative, impact-focused research, advancing discovery, shaping policy and strengthening health systems in partnership with communities worldwide.

Discover all of our Centres, Units and Institutes
Scientist in a white lab coat and blue gloves using a pipette at a laboratory bench, surrounded by racks of tubes, equipment and a biohazard waste container under a task lamp.

Our research is focused around four major global health challenges that shape the wellbeing of people and communities worldwide.

Highighted projects

Tiny Targets

Tiny Targets is an innovative vector control initiative led by LSTM and partners to reduce the spread of sleeping sickness. The aim was to reduce tsetse fly densities below the threshold that allows transmission of the disease.

Anti-Wolbachia Consortium (A·WOL)

The Anti-Wolbachia Consortium (A·WOL), led by LSTM, is pioneering a novel approach to treating filarial diseases by targeting Wolbachia, an essential bacterial symbiont within the worms that cause onchocerciasis and mosquitoes that cause lymphatic filariasis.

Hybridisation in UroGenital Schistosomiasis (HUGS)

The Hybridisation in UroGenital Schistosomiasis (HUGS) project is an international research collaboration focused on understanding the impact of parasite hybridisation on disease control.

Research culture

The world’s biggest health challenges need the world’s most diverse minds working together. At LSTM, we believe that inclusive, supportive, and collaborative research communities are key to delivering world-leading research and breakthroughs that transform global health.

Research culture
Three scientists in white lab coats talking in a bright laboratory, one holding a rack of sample tubes and another making notes in a notebook.

Discover our research through video

A researcher wearing blue scrubs holds a snake securely while guiding its fangs onto a small glass vial attached to a metal stand, collecting venom in a bright, clinical laboratory setting.
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A close-up fluorescent microscopy image showing several mosquito larvae glowing bright green with a diamond-shaped pattern along their segmented bodies, set against a vivid red background.
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A researcher wearing a blue glove holds a container inside a mesh enclosure filled with mosquitoes, used for studying disease transmission and vector control.
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