Page 111 - SAMRC AnnualReport 2025-26

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

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS UNDER THIS PROGRAMME

Biostatistics
Research Unit

UNIT DIRECTOR:
Prof. Tarylee Reddy
tarylee.reddy@mrc.ac.za

Overview of the Research Unit vaccination strategies and public health decision-

The Biostatistics Research Unit provides specialist making.
biostatistical expertise and support to the The Unit also made significant contributions to
organisation’s network of medical and health statistical methodology. First-authored work by
researchers, as well as to government departments Dr Mchunu introduced advanced joint modelling
and national and international research institutions. approaches to optimise personalised screening
The Unit is interdisciplinary, with expertise spanning intervals, while Yende-Zuma and Reddy highlighted
biostatistics, data management, geographic methodological challenges in estimating vaccine
information systems (GIS), and food science. effectiveness in real-world settings. Together,
these contributions reinforce the Unit’s position as
Key Milestones and Achievements a centre of analytical excellence.

During the 2025/2026 financial year, the Biostatistics Complementing this work, the SAFOODS division
Research Unit advanced its core mandate of strengthened South Africa’s nutrition research
generating rigorous, policy-relevant evidence while infrastructure by updating the SAFOODS Food
strengthening its leadership in data management, Composition Database. This included revised
statistical innovation, clinical trial design, and recipe calculation methodologies for 455 food
nutrition data systems. The Unit addressed critical items aligned with international standards, as well
analytical challenges associated with complex as expanding the food quantities database by 1,956
health data from high-burden, resource-constrained
settings, with a particular focus on infectious measures across 239 food items. The division also
diseases, maternal and child health, nutrition, and validated the DIASA 24-hour dietary recall mobile
emerging non-communicable diseases. application through an equivalence study against
paper-based methods, addressing a critical gap in
A major achievement was the Unit’s expanding electronic dietary assessment tools in South Africa.
leadership in clinical trial design and analysis. The Further innovation was demonstrated through the
team played a pivotal role in the design, analysis, development of D-FoodLink, an API that enables
and interpretation of randomised trials and vaccine integration between dietary assessment platforms,
studies, particularly in HIV prevention research, improving the efficiency and accuracy of dietary
including the SAMBULELO, PedMAb and B-011 data collection and analysis.
clinical trials, as well as the Aurum-led Vaccine
Strategies COVID-19 trial. These studies addressed Overall, the Unit has strengthened its position as a
key uncertainties relating to vaccine safety, leader in data and statistical innovation, enhancing
immunogenicity, and effectiveness in populations the quality, relevance, and impact of health and
often underrepresented in global research, nutrition research, while contributing directly to
including people living with HIV, thereby informing evidence-based policy and practice.

SA M R C A N N U A L R EP O R T 2 0 2 5 / 2 0 2 6 109