Scientists have just launched the first-ever project to find the biological cause of 'Noma' disease. After centuries of neglect, the research could help end this mysterious illness, which can destroy a child’s face in days and kills tens of thousands per year.

Over five years, researchers will study patients across several countries, examining both the microbes in their mouths and what is happening in their immune systems*.*

It’s an exciting time because the project could, hypothetically, produce an extraordinary range of findings. Researchers may finally identify the microbe (or microbes) behind noma. They may discover what is different about the immune systems of children who develop it. They could discover a biological sign of the disease that could be detected with a rapid test, allowing health workers to intervene at the earliest stages. And they may learn enough to replace today’s broad cocktail of antibiotics (the only known treatment for an active case) with something far more targeted.

Of course, none of this is assured. “But one thing is for sure. At the end of PathNoma, we will know more about noma than we’ve learned in the previous hundred years,” said Stuart Ainsworth, a microbiologist at the University of Liverpool that's leading the first-ever study.