Funding for programmes that target major diseases should be matched by investment in the health systems that underpin them, says Ghana's Irene Akua Agyepong.

By measuring the right things, health providers can improve HIV response and save lives, says Stefano Bertozzi of the Gates Foundation.

Research into stem cells is taking place across South-East Asia, but proven disease treatments are currently out of reach, says Crispin Maslog.

More affordable and effective treatments will be the result of a binding convention on R&D in health, according to an expert.

Social attitudes towards vaccines are hard to cram into a mathematical model, but scientists need to take them into account, says Priya Shetty.

S&T advances should safeguard health, equity and the rights of vulnerable populations, says rural development professional Bhavani R. V.

Looking through a 'human rights lens' can improve S&T programmes, while S&T can help strengthen human rights work, says lawyer Jessica Wyndham.

The latest round of challenges to India's drug patent laws is a fight that must be won for the world's poor, says Priya Shetty.

The developing world needs support for low-tech health innovations that do not compromise on effectiveness, says Priya Shetty.

Countries in South-East Asia must learn from successful family planning programmes if living standards are to improve, says Crispin Maslog.

Neglected tropical diseases are a hidden factor of cardiovascular diseases in developing countries, say Yasmin Moolani and colleagues.

Implementation is the primary challenge for renewed family planning efforts, says demography and population specialist John May.

The challenges currently faced by Chagas patients are similar to those at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemics, say Peter J. Hotez and colleagues.

A binding international convention would facilitate a move towards more equitable access to R&D in health, according to Suerie Moon and colleagues.

Emerging resistance to artemisinin means efforts to track genetic markers and regulate the drug's use must step up, says Priya Shetty.

Trade deals are threatening generic drugs — we need new ways to incentivise affordable drug development, says health expert Daniele Dionisio.

There is a pressing need for Africa to bolster its pharmaceuticals industry, and that requires the right policy framework, argues Priya Shetty.

Improving health for the poor depends on nurturing local innovations — and learning how to deliver them, argue Abdallah Daar and Peter Singer.

The revised malaria death toll suggests a need for research into uncertainties in controlling neglected tropical diseases, says Mark Booth.