Award of Phase III of the Regional Prospective Observational Research on Tuberculosis (RePORT III) Project to a consortium led by the South African TB Vaccine Initiative

The SAMRC is pleased to announce that it has awarded a R21 million grant to the South African TB Vaccine Initiative for Phase III for the RePORT Project. The RePORT project funds basic science and biomarker research that aids in the search for novel TB diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines. The project is co-funded by the US National Institutes of Health which has contributed US$3 million over the three-year period of the project. The RePORT collaboration works with TB scientists from the US, China, Brazil, India, the Philippines, and Indonesia and is one of the main global partnerships in the search for new tools in the fight against Tuberculosis.

“RePORT international is the largest global network of TB basic science and translation research in the world. It is a partnership between the National Institute for Health (NIH) and partnering countries and we are very proud to be a co-sponsor of this unique global partnership. We look forward to our ongoing collaboration with both the NIH and the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) at the University of Cape Town,” said Professor Glenda Gray, President and CEO of the SAMRC.

“South Africa has been part of the consortium since its inception and plays a leading role in it thanks to the depth of TB research expertise that our scientists have demonstrated in the field of Tuberculosis,” said Dr Fareed Abdullah, Director of the Office of AIDS and TB Research at the SAMRC.

The SAMRC wishes to congratulate Prof. Mark Hatherill, Director at SATVI, and his team for submitting a sterling proposal and being chosen to lead the South African Consortium (RePORT SA III). The research that will stem from this initiative will undoubtedly be pioneering and impactful in the global response to the TB epidemic, which infects 10 million people per year globally.

“Participation in the RePORT International consortium is an opportunity for South African scientists to showcase cutting-edge advances in TB immunology, molecular microbiology and biomarker development,” said Professor Hatherill.

For more information about the TB RePORT South Africa Consortium contact Dr. Lee-Ann Davids at Lee-Ann.Davids@mrc.ac.za.