Page 103 - SAMRC AnnualReport 2025-26

P E R FOR M A NC E I N FOR M A T I ON

Regional Prospective Observational The unit has also established a substantial COVID-19
Research on Tuberculosis (RePORT) research portfolio focused on investigating humoral
and cell-mediated immunogenicity of COVID-19
South Africa participates in RePORT, an eight-
country consortium and one of the world’s vaccines among individuals with chronic conditions,
largest tuberculosis foundational science research including HIV and autoimmune diseases such as
networks. This initiative is co-funded by the rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus
NIH and the SAMRC. OATB provides funding, (SLE), and ankylosing spondylitis. The HIV-related
strategic oversight, and technical guidance to the study has been published, while the arthritis-related
programme. During the 2025/2026 financial year, manuscript is currently under preparation.
publications were produced, and research findings The Unit Director currently supervises MMed
were presented at several national and international research projects involving registrars in Public
scientific platforms. Health Medicine and Urology. Research topics
include advanced HIV disease, adolescent HIV
ALIGN Consortium
treatment adherence, and reducing patient waiting
Through the Accelerating Country-Led Innovation times through electronic health record systems.
Introduction through Policy, Financing and Learning Additional research is planned in the field of non-
(ALIGN) Consortium, OATB leads the financing, TB, tuberculous mycobacterial disease.
and HIV prevention components relating to the
introduction of health innovations within the South Pandemic Fund initiative
African health system. This work is undertaken OATB leads pandemic preparedness research
in collaboration with the Duke Global Health focused on surveillance systems, including
Innovation Centre, PATH South Africa, and several syndromic, wastewater, mortality, genomic, and
SAMRC units.
vector-borne disease surveillance for human and
animal pathogens. The initiative is funded through
Clinical trials and translational research
the Pandemic Fund, administered by the WHO and
OATB collaborates with multiple departments at the FAO, and is implemented in collaboration with Wits
University of Pretoria, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, University’s EViTOH division and several SAMRC
and the NICD on several clinical and hospital-based units, including the Burden of Disease Research
trials. In partnership with the Division of Infectious Unit, Environmental Health Research Unit, and BRIP.
Diseases, the unit is participating in a multicentre
clinical trial evaluating the added benefit of low- Key activities include wastewater surveillance
dose azithromycin prophylaxis in advanced HIV for detecting existing and emerging pathogens,
disease. Recruitment is ongoing, with more than 100 genomic sequencing of wastewater samples,
participants already enrolled at Steve Biko Hospital. strengthening mortality surveillance systems, and

Delegates at the Outcomes Finance Alliance Summit 2026.

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