More than seven decades of Acta Tropica: Looking back to move into the future.

Acta Tropica is an international, peer-reviewed journal advancing scientific research in the fields of tropical medicine and parasitology. This article elucidates the rich history of the journal and speculates about its future. Acta Tropica was launched in 1944 and formed an integral part of the establishment and running of the Swiss Tropical Institute in Basel. After two distinct periods of relatively small publication activities (1944-1976 and 1977-1988), in 1989, Acta Tropica was transferred to the Dutch publisher Elsevier. Subsequently, the annual number of publications steadily increased and the scope of the journal broadened to the biology of pathogens and their vectors, to genetics, host-parasite relationships, mechanisms of pathogenicity, diagnostics, and treatment of tropical diseases. The body of published articles contributed to an improved understanding of the prevention, surveillance, control, and elimination of diseases that are intimately linked to poverty, such as malaria and neglected tropical diseases. In recent years, the scope of Acta Tropica was widening to target emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, epidemics and pandemics, interrelations of microbes, viruses, and parasites, co-dependencies of epidemiology, ecology, environment, and climate change. Importantly, non-communicable diseases are gaining interest in low- and middle-income countries due to urbanization, globalization, and rapidly changing life styles, and hence, these issues receive growing prominence. Acta Tropica continues to embrace inter- and, indeed, transdisciplinary research to address pressing global health issues and sustainable development.

A brief history of selected malaria vaccine and medical interventions pursued by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and partners, 1943-2021.

In order to be successful in global health today, all the long-established European tropical research institutes had to undergo a transition which can be described as "hunter-gatherer" and descriptive approaches during colonial and postcolonial times to a deeper understanding of infection biology and finally to public health interventions from which populations at large can benefit. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Swiss Tropical Institute (today: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Swiss TPH) based in Basel too has changed its focus from individual medicine to a public health context. This article does not present new scientific data but takes a historical perspective. Its aim is to highlight the above-mentioned transformation by focusing on selected malaria research-cum-action interventions during the crucial period of the 1990s, which were tailored to the social-ecological settings where the disease was endemic. In order for this transformation to be successful, we intend to emphasise the importance of (i) having a fundamental understanding of local transmission; (ii) building and nurturing relationships with partner institutions; and (iii) developing a coherent research portfolio as key elements for researching and applying evidence in malaria control and elimination as part of national malaria control programmes.

The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute: Past, present and future.

Compared internationally, the history of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) is unusual. Founded in 1944, at a time of utmost isolation, it was a response to specific needs of the government of Switzerland during the Second World War. In 1943, the Swiss Federal Council approached universities in Switzerland and asked them to submit project proposal that had the potential to mitigate possible post-war unemployment and threatening economic isolation. Members of the University of Basel proposed to establish a Swiss Tropical Institute (today: Swiss TPH). With its harbour at the River Rhine, Basel was an important international transport hub. The city was and still is the headquarters of important pharmaceutical companies, such as Novartis Pharma AG and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, which were looking for new markets overseas. Last but not least, scientific expeditions to Africa were rather common in the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century for members of Basel's bourgeoisie. Initially, Swiss TPH focused primarily on basic research into diseases of poverty, but over the years it has developed into an important player in public, international and global health. This article sees the development of the institute as a reflection of the visions of its directors from the founder Professor Rudolf Geigy to Professor Jürg Utzinger, who is the current Swiss TPH director. It includes interviews with the four latest of them, discussing their experiences and attempts to adapt the institute to an ever changing global environment. From these lessons learnt we hope to gain insights that could be relevant for today's leaders of scientific institutes; foster public-private partnerships and contribute to solve some of the most pressing global health challenges.