Michael Eddleston

Biography

 My work’s major aim is to reduce deaths from pesticide and plant self-poisoning in rural Asia, a cause of over 200,000 premature deaths each year and a key global means of suicide. To do this, I perform clinical trials in South Asian district hospitals to better understand the pharmacology and effectiveness of antidotes and community-based controlled trials to identify effective public health interventions. This work is complemented by large animal translational studies of antidotes in Edinburgh, work with sociologists and anthropologists to better understand the meaning of self-harm, and work with the World Health Organisation and Food & Agriculture Organisation to aid implementation. I also perform clinical and pre-clinical research in Edinburgh to improve treatment of other forms of poisoning (such as from cyanide, alcohol, and contrast media) by developing and/or testing novel antidotes.

Research Interest

 Developing novel antidotes