Category
Dr
James
Watson
Associate Director
Co-Lead Malaria Chemoprevention Theme
Email
Research Theme
Malaria
Chagas
WWARN
James Watson joined IDDO in March 2023 as Associate Director.
He is a Sir Henry Dale Fellow funded by the Wellcome Trust working on improving the diagnosis and treatment of severe falciparum malaria.
James is a statistician by training and previously worked at the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok for seven years before moving to the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Viet Nam.
His research interests also include the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria, SARS-CoV-2 antivirals, Chagas disease, snakebite and adaptive trial design.
Key Publications
Split dosing of artemisinins does not improve antimalarial therapeutic efficacy
White, N., Watson, J., & Ashley, E. (2017). Scientific Reports, 7(12132), 1-5.
Modelling primaquine-induced haemolysis in G6PD deficiency
White, N., Watson, J., Taylor, R., Menard, D., & Kheng, S. (2017). ELife.
Approximate models and robust decisions
Watson, J., & Holmes, C. (2017). Statistical Science, 31(4), 465-489.
All Publications
Accurate measurement of viral clearance in early phase antiviral studies in COVID-19.
Wongnak, P., Watson, J., Jittamala, P., Schilling, W., Seers, T., Leopold, S., & White, N. (2025). J Infect Dis.
Within-host modeling of primaquine-induced hemolysis in hemizygote glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient healthy volunteers.
Watson, J., Mehdipour, P., Moss, R., Jittamala, P., Zaloumis, S., Price, D., Dini, S., Hanboonkunupakarn, B., Leungsinsiri, P., Poovorawan, K., Chotivanich, K., Bancone, G., Commons, R., Day, N., Pukrittayakamee, S., Taylor, W., White, N., & Simpson, J. (2025). Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 69(4), e0154924.
Tuberculosis preventive therapy: scientific and ethical considerations for trials of ultra-short regimens
Walker, T., Watson, J., Moore, D., Frick, M., & Jamrozik, E. (2025). Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Antiviral efficacy of fluoxetine in early symptomatic COVID-19: an open-label, randomised, controlled, adaptive platform trial (PLATCOV).
Jittamala, P., Boyd, S., Schilling, W., Watson, J., Ngamprasertchai, T., Siripoon, T., Luvira, V., Batty, E., Wongnak, P., Esper, L., Almeida, P., Cruz, C., Ascencao, F., Aguiar, R., Ghanchi, N., Callery, J., Singh, S., Kruabkontho, V., Ngernseng, T., … PLATCOV Collaborative Group. (2025). EClinicalMedicine, 80, 103036.
Molnupiravir clinical trial simulation suggests that polymerase chain reaction underestimates antiviral potency against SARS-CoV-2.
Esmaeili, S., Owens, K., Standing, J., Lowe, D., Zhang, S., Watson, J., Schilling, W., Wagoner, J., Polyak, S., & Schiffer, J. (2025).
Probabilistic classification of late treatment failure in uncomplicated malaria
Mehra, S., Taylor, A., Imwong, M., White, N., & Watson, J. (2025). In medRxiv.
A protocol for a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis investigating the relationship betweenPfkelch13mutations and response to artemisinin-based treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria
van Wyk, S., Dahal, P., Christevy Vouvoungui, J., Ayuen, D., Shokraneh, F., Aboubakar, S., Watson, J., Guerin, P., & Barnes, K. (2025). In medRxiv.
Modeling the within-host dynamics of <i>Plasmodium vivax</i> hypnozoite activation: An analysis of the SPf66 vaccine trial.
Mehra, S., Nosten, F., Luxemburger, C., White, N., & Watson, J. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121(51), e2401024121.
Anakinra for dengue patients with hyperinflammation: protocol for a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
Huyen, T., Trieu, H., Vuong, N., Minh Nguyet, N., Tam, D., McBride, A., Linh, N., Thuan, D., Phong, N., Trung, T., Huong, N., Vien, T., Duyen, H., Hoa, V., Watson, J., Geskus, R., Tho, P., Kestelyn, E., Qui, P., & Yacoub, S. (2024). Wellcome Open Res, 9, 689.
Anakinra for dengue patients with hyperinflammation: protocol for a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
Huyen, T., Trieu, H., Vuong, N., Minh Nguyet, N., Tam, D., McBride, A., Linh, N., Thuan, D., Phong, N., Trung, T., Huong, N., Vien, T., Duyen, H., Hoa, V., Watson, J., Geskus, R., Tho, P., Kestelyn, E., Qui, P., & Yacoub, S. (2024). Wellcome Open Research, 9, 689.
Methaemoglobin as a surrogate marker of primaquine antihypnozoite activity in Plasmodium vivax malaria: A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis
Fadilah, I., Commons, R., Chau, N., Chu, C., Day, N., Koh, G., Green, J., Lacerda, M., Llanos-Cuentas, A., Nelwan, E., Nosten, F., Pasaribu, A., Sutanto, I., Taylor, W., Thriemer, K., Price, R., White, N., Baird, J., & Watson, J. (2024). PLoS Medicine, 21(9).
Advancing the chemotherapy of tuberculous meningitis: a consensus view
Wasserman, S., Donovan, J., Kestelyn, E., Watson, J., Aarnoutse, R., Barnacle, J., Boulware, D., Chow, F., Cresswell, F., Davis, A., Dooley, K., Figaji, A., Gibb, D., Huynh, J., Imran, D., Marais, S., Meya, D., Misra, U., Modi, M., … Wilkinson, R. (2024). Lancet Infectious Diseases, 25(1), e47 - e58.
Evaluation of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the prevention of COVID-19 (COPCOV): A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial
Schilling, W., Mukaka, M., Callery, J., Llewelyn, M., Cruz, C., Dhorda, M., Ngernseng, T., Waithira, N., Ekkapongpisit, M., Watson, J., Chandna, A., Nelwan, E., Hamers, R., Etyang, A., Beg, M., Sow, S., Yavo, W., Allabi, A., Basnyat, B., … Tarning, J. (2024). PLoS Medicine, 21(9).
Lineage-informative microhaplotypes for recurrence classification and spatio-temporal surveillance of Plasmodium vivax malaria parasites
Siegel, S., Trimarsanto, H., Amato, R., Murie, K., Taylor, A., Sutanto, E., Kleinecke, M., Whitton, G., Watson, J., Imwong, M., Assefa, A., Rahim, A., Nguyen, H., Tran, T., Green, J., Koh, G., White, N., Day, N., Kwiatkowski, D., … Auburn, S. (2024). Nature Communications, 15(1).
Transmission-blocking activities of artesunate, chloroquine, and methylene blue on Plasmodium vivax gametocytes
Chaumeau, V., Wasisakun, P., Watson, J., Oo, T., Aryalamloed, S., Sue, M., Htoo, G., Tha, N., Archusuksan, L., Sawasdichai, S., Gornsawun, G., Mehra, S., White, N., & Nosten, F. (2024). Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 68(9).
Rectal artesunate: lives not saved
White, N., Peto, T., & Watson, J. (2024). Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 118(10), 639-641.
Temporal changes in SARS-CoV-2 clearance kinetics and the optimal design of antiviral pharmacodynamic studies: an individual patient data meta-analysis of a randomised, controlled, adaptive platform study (PLATCOV)
Wongnak, P., Schilling, W., Jittamala, P., Boyd, S., Luvira, V., Siripoon, T., Ngamprasertchai, T., Batty, E., Singh, S., Kouhathong, J., Pagornrat, W., Khanthagan, P., Hanboonkunupakarn, B., Poovorawan, K., Mayxay, M., Chotivanich, K., Imwong, M., Pukrittayakamee, S., Ashley, E., … Watson, J. (2024). Lancet Infectious Diseases, 24(9), P953 - 963.
Comparison of WHO versus national COVID-19 therapeutic guidelines across the world: not exactly a perfect match
Cokljat, M., Cruz, C., Carrara, V., Puttaraska, K., Capriglioni, C., Insaurralde, S., Rousseau-Portalis, M., Roldan, A., Watson, J., Tarning, J., White, N., & Guerin, P. (2024). BMJ Global Health, 9(4), e014188.
Where will rectal artesunate suppositories save lives?
Watson, J., Peto, T., & White, N. (2024). Lancet (London, England), 403(10432), 1137-1138.
The burden of tuberculosis in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: a spatial analysis of drug-susceptible and multi-drug resistant cases between 2020 and 2023
Spies, R., Hong, H., Trieu, P., Lan, L., Lan, K., Hue, N., Huong, N., Thao, T., Quang, N., Anh, T., Vinh, T., Dang, T., Phan, T., Nguyen, P., Van, L., Thwaites, G., Nguyen, T., Watson, J., & Walker, T. (2024). Emerging Infectious Diseases, 30(3), 499-509.
The relationship between viral clearance rates and disease progression in early symptomatic COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.
Singh, S., Boyd, S., Schilling, W., Watson, J., Mukaka, M., & White, N. (2024). The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 79(5), 935-945.
Response to comment on 'The clinical pharmacology of tafenoquine in the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria: an individual patient data meta-analysis'
Watson, J., Commons, R., Tarning, J., Simpson, J., Llanos Cuentas, A., Lacerda, M., Green, J., Koh, G., Chu, C., Nosten, F., Price, R., Day, N., & White, N. (2024). ELife, 13.
Primaquine in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency: an adaptive pharmacometric assessment of ascending dose regimens in healthy volunteers
Pukrittayakamee, S., Jittamala, P., Watson, J., Hanboonkunupakarn, B., Leungsinsiri, P., Poovorawan, K., Chotivanich, K., Bancone, G., Chu, C., Imwong, M., Day, N., Taylor, W., & White, N. (2024). ELife, 12.
Primaquine in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency: an adaptive pharmacometric assessment of ascending dose regimens in healthy volunteers
Pukrittayakamee, S., Jittamala, P., Watson, J., Hanboonkunupakarn, B., Leungsinsiri, P., Poovorawan, K., Chotivanich, K., Bancone, G., Chu, C., Imwong, M., Day, N., Taylor, W., & White, N. (2024). ELife, 12.
Spatial analysis of drug-susceptible and multidrug-resistant cases of tuberculosis, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 2020-2023
Spies, R., Hong, H., Trieu, P., Lan, L., Lan, K., Hue, N., Huong, N., Thao, T., Quang, N., Anh, T., Vinh, T., Ha, D., Dat, P., Hai, N., Van, L., Thwaites, G., Thuong, N., Watson, J., & Walker, T. (2024). Emerging Infectious Diseases, 30(3), 499-509.