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Philippa Matthews

@pippa-matt.bsky.social

1.9K followers 2K following 200 posts

Professor of infectious diseases working across continents & disciplines. #HBV #hepatitis research @Crick.ac.uk & @UCL.ac.uk https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/labs/philippa-matthews 🦠🧬🧪🩺🌍🇿🇦🇰🇪🇺🇬 #globalhealth #NHS #IDSky #MedSky #HepSky #European

www.crick.ac.uk

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 20d

"If you think research is expensive, try disease!"
🧪 #NIH #CDC #PEPFAR #NIHR @who.int

Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · May 11

🧪Did you know that America is known for its cancer research b/c of the National Cancer Act in 1971 signed by Nixon. Mary Lasker took her cause to congress and the American public as a leading proponent of the National Cancer Act. She said, "If you think research is expensive, try disease!"

Letter to Mary Lasker from Richard Nixon dated Jan 11 1972.
Regarding the signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971.
https://laskerfoundation.org/the-promise-of-the-cancer-moonshot/

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 20h

The impact of cutting #ClinicalTrials - yes this is certainly very bad for investigators & #patients… but also for #biotech, drug development, #academia, training & scientific progress, global collaboration, economic health, and so, in fact, all of our futures. 🧪 #MedSky @naturemedicine.bsky.social

‘When clinical trials are suddenly halted… there are repercussions for investigators and patients, and they do not stop at borders’

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 20h

The number of people known to be living with #HBV is reported to have tripled in some areas of #SouthAfrica… as indeed in the #UK through routine screening of #NHS #EmergencyDepartment attendees. Increasing #diagnosis is essential to provide linkage to care & life-saving treatment.
🧪 #hepatitis

Hepatitis SA @hepatitissa.asn.au · 1d

Hepatitis B - more diagnoses a sign of better care for people living with chronic hepatitis B. Health workers say Northern Territory leads the way www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
@hepbvoicesau.bsky.social @hepatitisaustralia.bsky.social

Hepatitis B cases are rising in the NT, but experts say it's a positive sign

Health workers say new data showing hepatitis B cases have almost tripled in the NT reflects better access to care, with the territory also leading the nation in reducing mortality rates.

www.abc.net.au

Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 20h

This is interesting as we realise something similar for hepatitis #viruses… maybe we should talk less about ‘resistance’ (binary) and more about ‘susceptibility’ (shades of grey).
#AMR #HBV #AntimicrobialResistance #Infection #IDSky 🧪

Sam Lipworth @samlipworth.bsky.social · 21h

Pleased to see this out today in @lancetmicrobe.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... We estimate the independent effects of AMR genes on MIC at a drug-bug level and challenge the idea that resistance is a binary phenomenon.

Estimating the association of antimicrobial resistance genes with minimum inhibitory concentration in Escherichia coli: an observational study

Surveillance and prediction of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli relies on curated databases of genes and mutations. We aimed to quantify the …

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Philippa Matthews

World Hepatitis Alliance @worldhepalliance.bsky.social · 1d

It's #LiverCancerAwarenessMonth.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and the majority of cases are caused by viral hepatitis.

This October, let’s unite to integrate hepatitis into cancer prevention strategies.

Read more on our white paper: https://bit.ly/4kRJeQk

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 4d

We just got the edge of #StormAmy in #Oxford. Blue sky and sunshine but howling wind. 🌬️🍁

Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 6d

"Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted ...may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries"
Lots of things scare me at the moment.
#PubMed going down is one of them.
#NIH #MedSky
🧪

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 6d

Great opportunity for a #PhD for clinician scientists to join our amazing institute in London @crick.ac.uk
#MedSky #science
Details in thread / link ⬇️
🧪🧬🦠🔬🔭🩺

The Francis Crick Institute @crick.ac.uk · 7d

We're looking for clinicians who are passionate about research to join our 3-year fully funded clinical PhD programme. 🔬🩺

Apply by 14 November 2025. 👇

www.crick.ac.uk/careers-stud...

Doctoral clinical fellows

The Crick's clinical PhD programme.

www.crick.ac.uk

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 7d

And let’s not forget timely birth dose #vaccine for #HBV… a simple intervention in the first 24 hours of life to protect against long term #infection and therefore prevent #liver #cancer. It’s hard to imagine a more effective #PublicHealth intervention.
#LiverSky #HepSky
Keep going @gavi.org! 💪🧪💉🌍

Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 7d

This is bright news in dark times… the #vaccine alliance @gavi.org continues to reach children & save lives, securing funding despite cuts. Success in #Sudan, #Mali, #Haiti, roll out of wider #HPV coverage & readiness for roll out of new #malaria vaccine. 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
#PublicHealth #MedSky #VaccinesWork
🧪💉

Gavi @gavi.org · 8d

🚨 BREAKING: Gavi-supported vaccines saved a record-breaking 1.7 million lives in 2024 – a staggering 400,000 more than in 2023 and the highest number of lives saved in a single year in Gavi's history.

Here’s the overview: bit.ly/4gLxRIW

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 11d

For all who love #vaccines, the quest to eliminate #hepatitis viruses (A-E), #publichealth, #science, #research and #EvidenceBasedMedicine, please watch this to lighten the load and cheer yourself up 🤣🧪
#MedSky #HepSky

Edward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 12d

I really appreciate how Dr. Glaucomflecken has become all of medicine and public health's emotional support ophthalmologist.

I sat through 16 hours of ACIP meetings last week. If I do not laugh, I will cry.

The ACIP Panel

YouTube video by Dr. Glaucomflecken

youtu.be

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 11d

Great to hear Prof Edith Heard on women's health, bench-to-bedside discovery, sex chromosome biology, migrancy, science democratisation, threats to the global scientific ecosystem, female leadership. Plenty to be getting on with... welcome to the Crick! @crick.ac.uk 🧪
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Woman's Hour - Child benefit cap, Prof Edith Heard, Book banning - BBC Sounds

We look at the mounting pressure to scrap the two child benefit cap.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 11d

#PEPFAR has been brutally uprooted and #USAID doesn’t really exist any more. Are there green shoots anywhere in this catastrophe? 🌱
It feels hard to find them, but clinging onto hope that our amazing leaders & community can navigate the storm. 🧪🩺💊🌍
#HIV #globalhealth
www.thebody.com/hiv/pepfar-f...

Whether PEPFAR Lives or Dies, HIV Leaders Seek a New Way Forward

Amid the self-destruction of the U.S.’s global AIDS response, we’re seeing signs that nations most impacted by HIV will rise to meet the moment.

www.thebody.com

Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 12d

Scientific, public health & lived experience rationale for expanding #hepatitis B treatment.
Webinar hosted by @ice-hbv.bsky.social & #HepatitisBFoundation.
Details in flyer 👇
#HBV #HepSky #LiverSky #MedSky 🧪💊🌍
@suwang88.bsky.social
@lancetgastrohep.bsky.social
www.hepb.org

Flyer for webinar on hepatitis B treatment, scheduled for Oct 23 205 4pm EDT.

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 13d

Work presented at the international #HBV meeting & #COLDA highlights high level impact & profound concern around loss of funding for #hepatitis clinical care, public health programmes & research.
🧪
@crick.ac.uk
@mariondelphin.bsky.social
@worldhepalliance.bsky.social
doi.org/10.6084/m9.f...

'Plan-B': Impact of changes in the global funding landscape for Hepatitis B clinical and research programmes

Introduction: Major cuts have been made to the global funding landscape since the beginning of 2025, including pausing or cancellation of existing grants, and cuts to specific organisations providing ...

doi.org

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 13d

We are on the brink of a game changer for #HIV… long acting agents which protect against infection… akin to a #vaccine (with repeated dosing). And we know that #vaccineswork. In the meantime, the ecosystem collapses & funding is slashed right where we need it the most #CDC #PEPFAR #USAID 🧪 @who.int

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 14d

This is huge: “A drug that provides near-perfect protection against H.I.V. with shots just twice a year will be made available at $40 per patient annually in low- and middle-income countries, offering new hope… making lenacapavir a realistic choice in countries with constrained resources.”

Philanthropies Strike a Promising Deal to Turn Back H.I.V.

www.nytimes.com

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 13d

Shout out to @lou-downs.bsky.social & Dorcas Okanda for a prize at #COLDA. Their #HBV work in #Kenya expands insights in a neglected space, using #virus #genomics to influence healthcare.
#MedSky #NoHep
@crick.ac.uk @ndm.ox.ac.uk @ucl.ac.uk @wellcometrust.bsky.social
@kemriwellcome.bsky.social
🧪🇰🇪🌍

Photo of Dorcas and Louise with first prize certificate

Photo of members of the Matthews group for hepatitis elimination at COLDA in Accra, Ghana 🇬🇭

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 13d

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Obama says Trump linking paracetamol to autism is ‘violence against the truth’

Former president says successor’s claims about drug branded Tylenol in US ‘undermines public health that can do harm to women’

www.theguardian.com

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 13d

#Obama says linking #paracetamol to #autism is ‘violence against the truth’. Lies beget lies. This one leads to individual harm, but also - dangerously - to the ongoing erosion of trust in #medicine, #health & #science. Thank you @barackobamaauto.bsky.social for speaking out… & welcome to #London. 🧪

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 15d

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 15d

Tackling liver #cancer ↔️ tackling viral #hepatitis.
#vaccineswork not only to prevent infection but to prevent cancer.
#HBV vaccine is safe, effective and cheap. A dose at birth, and 3 doses in infancy (together with other vaccines) can prevent lifelong infection & disease.
🧪 #NoHep #vaccination

Hepatitis SA @hepatitissa.asn.au · 15d

A significant development - acknowledgement of hepatitis testing and treatment as part of cancer prevention. Well done! @worldhepalliance.bsky.social
@hepatitisaustralia.bsky.social

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Reposted by Philippa Matthews

Stefan Marciniak @profmarciniak.bsky.social · 16d

NHS guidelines stand

In the UK, paracetamol (acetaminophen in USA) is the first choice of painkiller if you're pregnant. It's commonly taken during pregnancy and does not harm your baby
www.nhs.uk/medicines/pa...

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility while taking paracetamol for adults

NHS medicines information on paracetamol and whether you can take it while pregnant or breastfeeding.

www.nhs.uk

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 20d

Session led by @worldhepalliance.bsky.social
#COLDA2025 representing lived experience including #stigma and #discrimination for people living with #HBV.
A threat to wellbeing and a roadblock on progress to #elimination.
#NoHep #MedSky 🧪

Photo of presentation showing results of hepatitis stigma survey led by ECDC and world hepatitis alliance

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 20d

Funding crisis for #HBV in #WHO #Africa region…
A survey shows
⚠️0%⚠️
have sufficient funding to enact priority interventions for agreed international targets for #elimination.

Presented by Dr Akudo Ikpeazu
#COLDA2025 #SOLDA #NoHep #PublicHealth #hepatitis
@who.int
🧪

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 20d

"If you think research is expensive, try disease!"
🧪 #NIH #CDC #PEPFAR #NIHR @who.int

Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · May 11

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Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · 20d

'Biotech' refers broadly to biotechnology (a very wide term covering discovery and manufacture of medicines, healthcare interventions and tools, diagnostic tests, done by companies and through health sciences research). A nice online definition - 'the use of biology to make useful products'. 🧪🔬

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