Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

What Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine does

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), founded in 1898 and headquartered in Liverpool, UK, is the world's first institution dedicated to research and teaching in tropical medicine. It operates as a private not-for-profit academic organisation with 501–1,000 employees and over 500 active researchers, delivering postgraduate education (MSc, MRes, Professional Diplomas, CPD) and conducting research across tropical and infectious diseases, maternal and neonatal health, vector control, and antimicrobial resistance, with active projects in 60 countries and over 2,000 partner organisations. The institution is ranked 2nd nationally for research impact and 12th overall in REF 2021, and 1st in the UK by postgraduate taught students.

LSTM's technology portfolio spans bioinformatics (the VTBuilder tool for neglected-transcriptome assembly; Galaxy-based genome analysis pipelines), AI/ML applications (AI-powered sandfly wing identification app, laser-based mosquito tracking, the CNASafe portable cfDNA diagnostic platform combining nanopore sequencing with automated pathogen identification), CRISPR gene editing for malaria vector research, organoid models for vaccine development, and clinical research infrastructure including the UK's largest academic inpatient isolation facility (Human Challenge Facility, launched June 2026). The LSTM Group encompasses IVCC (vector-borne disease control), LSTM Consulting, and Well Travelled Clinics Ltd.

Revenue is generated through three streams: postgraduate tuition fees (international MSc lab-based programmes £26,099; online programmes £14,939; professional diplomas £2,050–£6,495), research grants and contracts from government bodies and charitable foundations (UK Department of Health and Social Care, Gates Foundation, Wellcome, Unitaid, GHIT Fund, Academy of Medical Sciences, Office for Students), and consulting and clinical services through LSTM Group entities. The institution is regulated by the Office for Students as a higher education provider and does not raise equity capital.

Name

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Legal name

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Website

https://lstmed.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, founded in 1898, is the world's oldest tropical medicine institution. It delivers postgraduate education and infectious disease research across 60 countries with 500+ researchers, AI-driven diagnostics, and clinical research facilities serving government, NGO, and academic partners globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tropical Medicine Research and Higher Education

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Biomedical Research Universities (Academic Medical Center–Affiliated) (EDAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Institutes & Programs (EDAHAGAM), Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI), Scientific Data Management & Data Platforms (SDMS/Data Lakehouse for R&D) (HLAGAJAC)

Keywords

• Tropical medicine research
• Postgraduate medical education
• Infectious disease diagnostics
• Vector control research
• Global health training

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Postgraduate tuition fees: Revenue from postgraduate taught programmes including Master's courses (lab-based/clinical: £26,099 international; online programmes: £14,939), professional diplomas (£2,050-£6,495), and postgraduate research degrees (full-time campus: £17,500).
2. Research grants and contracts: Funding from government bodies, charitable foundations, and international organisations for research programmes. Examples include Gates Foundation (£2.5m+ for MAMII), UK Department of Health and Social Care, Academy of Medical Sciences, and Hilfsaktion Noma e.V.
3. Consulting and clinical services: Revenue from LSTM Consulting, clinical diagnostic services, and enterprise/innovation activities through LSTM Group entities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is the world's oldest institution dedicated to tropical medicine research and teaching, delivering postgraduate taught programmes (MSc, MRes), professional diplomas, and CPD short courses alongside translational research services across nine thematic areas including malaria, NTDs, tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, and maternal health. The institution operates the UK's largest academic Human Challenge Facility, develops proprietary bioinformatics tools (VTBuilder) and diagnostic platforms (CNASafe), and engages in funded research collaboration with governments, NGOs, and foundations across 60 countries.

Product overview

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine operates as an educational and research institution rather than a commercial product company. Its primary offerings include academic degree programmes (MSc, MRes, professional diplomas), clinical research facilities (Human Challenge Facility), bioinformatics tools (VTBuilder, CNASafe diagnostic platform), AI applications (sandfly wing identification app, laser-based mosquito tracking), and a public research portal. The AI-powered Digital Health Training Infrastructure represents a newly launched £2.5m facility combining clinical simulation with AI-driven diagnostics. Research Computing Unit provides bioinformatics capabilities including Galaxy workflows and genome analysis. No commercial software products or SaaS platforms are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSc, MRes and Professional Diploma Programmes Postgraduate taught programmes (MSc Tropical Disease Biology, MSc One Health in Tropical Disease, MSc Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Master of Public Health, MSc Humanitarian Studies, MSc Global Health online), MRes Tropical Health and Infectious Disease Research, and Professional Diplomas (Tropical Nursing, Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Pharmaceutical Systems, Travel Health), designed for healthcare professionals and biological/medical graduates seeking specialist training in tropical medicine and global health.
• VTBuilder Bioinformatics Tool Bioinformatics tool developed by LSTM's Research Computing Unit for the assembly of highly variable neglected transcriptomes from millions of short sequencing reads, enabling accurate genome assembly for non-model organisms lacking comprehensive reference data in tropical disease research.
• CNASafe Automated cfDNA Diagnostic Platform Automated and portable cell-free DNA (cfDNA) isolation platform combined with nanopore sequencing for rapid microbial metagenomic diagnostics, enabling pathogen identification within hours in decentralised clinical environments where traditional blood cultures are unavailable or slow.
• AI-Powered Sandfly Wing Identification Mobile Application Mobile application in development that uses machine learning and high-resolution microscopy to identify disease-carrying sandflies by analysing wing patterns, enabling field scientists to classify species on-site without specialised taxonomic expertise to support targeted vector control for leishmaniasis and related neglected tropical diseases.
• Human Challenge Facility The largest academic inpatient isolation facility in the UK, developed by LSTM with University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, The Pandemic Institute, the University of Liverpool, and the NIHR Liverpool Clinical Research Facility, enabling controlled human infection studies for faster vaccine and diagnostic development.
• LSTM Research Portal Public online portal providing access to LSTM's research publications, datasets, researcher profiles, and project information across all research themes and organisational units, supporting research discovery and collaboration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Regional infection R&D spending increased to over £1 billion through iiCON consortium
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026LSTM joined the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team research consortium led by LSHTM in an £18 million five-year initiative to strengthen global outbreak response capabilities. The partnership builds on UK-PHRST's decade-long work since 2016 following the West African Ebola crisis, with LMIC institutions co-leading research alongside UK institutions.
• University of LiverpoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026University of Liverpool leads a consortium funded by Hilfsaktion Noma e.V. to investigate noma disease affecting children. LSTM participates as a partner in the PathNoma alliance focused on investigating microbiology and immunopathology of noma.
• ISGlobal (Barcelona Institute for Global Health)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Part of PathNoma alliance investigating noma disease microbiology and immunopathology.
• CaixaResearch InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Part of PathNoma alliance investigating noma disease microbiology and immunopathology.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Part of PathNoma alliance investigating noma disease microbiology and immunopathology.
• FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026LSTM partner in Unitaid-funded TB diagnostics advancement initiative.
• LSTM (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026LSTM partner in Unitaid-funded TB diagnostics advancement initiative.
• iiDiagnosticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2026UK-based company launching £750,000 international collaboration with Eyam Health to advance vaccine development using LSTM's organoid technology.
• Eyam HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2026Canadian biotech receiving advisory services and up to $455,000 CAD in funding from Canada's NRC IRAP, with additional support from Innovate UK and iiDiagnostics.
• FujifilmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025Partner in GHIT Fund investment for TB and NTD R&D projects.
• Stop TB PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025Partner in GHIT Fund investment for TB and NTD R&D projects.
• Ohio State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025Partner in GHIT Fund investment for TB and NTD R&D projects.
• NOIPollscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Partner in Nigeria's MAMII programme alongside LSTM for maternal and neonatal mortality reduction.
• University of OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for the Wellcome-funded Evaluation of Clinical Management Guidelines for High Consequence Infectious Diseases programme, partnered with LSTM.
• Walimu UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by LSTM's Dr Shevin Jacob; partners with LSTM on Ebola survivor research and sepsis research.
• University Hospitals of Liverpool GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in development of LSTM's Human Challenge Facility, the largest academic inpatient isolation facility in the UK.
• The Pandemic InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in development of LSTM's Human Challenge Facility.
• NIHR Liverpool Clinical Research FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in LSTM's Human Challenge Facility development.
• Wellcome Sanger InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in research on antimicrobial resistance and ESBL-producing E. coli transmission across One Health compartments in eastern Africa.
• Kamuzu University of Health SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in research on ESBL-producing E. coli transmission in Malawi.
• Makerere UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in research on ESBL-producing E. coli transmission in Uganda.
• University of LiverpoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in research on antimicrobial resistance and ESBL-producing E. coli transmission across One Health compartments.
• North West Universities Purchasing Consortium (NWUPC)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLSTM is a member of NWUPC, providing access to a range of regional and national contracts and frameworks for procurement.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LSTMnews

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine