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Associate Professor Cindy Chu

Associate Professor Cindy Chu

Contact information

Email
cindy@tropmedres.ac
cchumd@gmail.com

Borders

Borders — The Mekong River between Lao PDR and Thailand

The Moei River between Thailand and Myanmar

Cindy Chu

Associate Professor

LOMWRU paediatric pneumonia team lead

Bio

Cindy Chu is an internal medicine and paediatrics (IM/Paeds) physician working in the southeast Asia region since 2006. Her humanitarian work supporting clinical residency training in Lao PDR led her to the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) at Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) in Thailand where she began conducting Plasmodium vivax treatment trials under the tutelage of Professors Sir Nicholas White and François Nosten. She is now based at the Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit (LOMWRU) in Lao PDR.

Her initial research focused on optimising the efficacy and effectiveness of primaquine (an 8-aminoquinoline prescribed for 7 to 14 days) for Plasmodium vivax radical cure and the intersection with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) status.

Since the regulatory approval of tafenoquine, a single-dose 8-aminoquinoline agent, her research has shifted towards optimising tafenoquine dosing and expanding tafenoquine's role in P. vivax radical cure for patients of all ages. This aligns with her aspiration to improve health in populations in low middle income countries by improving health care delivery.

SEADOT study

Study participant takes tafenoquine for radical cure of P. vivax malaria — The Southeast Asia Dose Optimisation of Tafenoquine (SEADOT) study aims to optimise single-dose tafenoquine for P. vivax radical cure in regions with short latency relapse. Adults and children at least 2 years old weighing at least 10 kg with P. vivax malaria are recruited and followed for 4 months. The study is being conducted in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Primaquine in G6PD heterozygotes

Primaquine induced haemolysis in G6PD heterozygous females — Iatrogenic haemolysis from primaquine is dose dependent; in red 1mg/kg/day (7-day short course high dose) and in orange 0.5mg/kg/day (standard high dose). G6PD heterozygotes who have normal G6PD activity (>30%) develop large fractional haematocrit reductions. Circled individuals received a blood transfusion.

Key publications

Resolving the cause of recurrent Plasmodium vivax malaria probabilistically

Taylor AR. et al, (2019), Nature Communications, 10

Chloroquine versus dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine with standard high-dose primaquine given either for 7 days or 14 days in plasmodium vivax malaria

Chu CS. et al, (2019), Clinical Infectious Diseases, 68, 1311 - 1319

Tafenoquine versus primaquine to prevent relapse of plasmodium vivax malaria

Llanos-Cuentas A. et al, (2019), New England Journal of Medicine, 380, 229 - 241

Comparison of the cumulative efficacy and safety of chloroquine, artesunate, and chloroquine-primaquine in plasmodium vivax malaria

Chu CS. et al, (2018), Clinical Infectious Diseases, 67, 1543 - 1549

Haemolysis in G6PD Heterozygous Females Treated with Primaquine for Plasmodium vivax Malaria: A Nested Cohort in a Trial of Radical Curative Regimens

Chu CS. et al, (2017), Plos Medicine, 14

Management of relapsing Plasmodium vivax malaria

Chu CS. and White NJ., (2016), Expert Review of Anti Infective Therapy, 14, 885 - 900

Malaria in children

Crawley J. et al, (2010), Lancet, 375, 1468 - 1481

Recent publications

Tafenoquine lactation pharmacokinetics: a pilot study

Gilder ME. et al, (2026), Malaria Journal, 25

Assessing the YAM-5 and PeSSKi questionnaires as tools for mental health screening in migrant children ages 7–12 years living on the Thailand-Myanmar border

Howat J. et al, (2026), BMC Pediatrics, 26

Clinical perspectives on hemoglobin measurement: The example of malaria radical cure

Chu CS. et al, (2026), Plos Global Public Health, 6

Plasmodium vivax Malaria Relapse Risk Depends on Transmission Intensity: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study in Northwest Thailand

Chu CS. et al, (2026), Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 13

Evaluation of the Wondfo G6PD/Hb Test for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency: preliminary performance, matrix equivalence, and usability

Green RK. et al, (2025), Malaria Journal, 24

Microbiology, Infection and Tropical Medicine