Page 125 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS UNDER THIS PROGRAMME

Antiviral Gene Therapy
Research Unit

Unit director:
Prof. Patrick Arbuthnot

Prioritising responsive research from infected cells. Three approaches have been
through impactful interventions employed: gene silencing, epigenetic silencing and

The focus of the SAMRC/WITS Antiviral Gene gene editing.
Therapy Research Unit (AGTRU) is on countering Additionally, new-generation vaccination technology
infections that are important to South Africa and is also being used to improve prophylaxis
other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The major against HBV. We are using mRNA technology
activity of the SAMRC/Wits AGTRU during 2023/24 and engineered recombinant adenoviral vectors
is involvement with the mRNA vaccination hub to deliver immunogenic HBV antigens. Current
in South Africa. This initiative has been driven by HBV-preventing regimens entail the use of three
the WHO with support from several governments doses of a subunit-type vaccine. Unfortunately, in
(e.g. South Africa, French, German, Swiss, Italian, resource-poor settings, children are often lost to
United South Africa and Canadian) and various follow-up before receiving the complete course. The
philanthropies. The hub's goal is to build capacity availability of vaccines that are effective after only
in mRNA technology for vaccine development. The one dose, such as the mRNA and adenoviral-based
initial aim was to develop mRNA vaccines against candidates under development, will contribute
SARS-CoV-2, but the goals have been broadened significantly to providing better coverage.
to address existing serious infections such as are
caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) Equitable capacity development
and HIV (mRNA hub and BRILLIANT consortium). for empowering communities
These activities are important to ensure global
preparedness for future pandemics. Building human capacity has always been a priority
of our research team. Since the establishment of
Another area of interest is countering infection with the Wits/SAMRC AGTRU in 2015, we hosted eight
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). Chronic infection with the postdoctoral fellows, and supervised eight PhD
virus is hyperendemic to sub-Saharan Africa and and eleven MSc candidates to completion of their
continues to be a significant but underappreciated degrees. These graduates are representative of
cause of public health problems. Licensed anti-HBV the country's demographics and many of them
drugs have poor efficacy, and rarely prevent mortality have gone on to successful careers as scientists.
that result from complications of the infection. Some graduates are themselves training the next
Research completed to date in our unit shows that generation of researchers in the Wits/SAMRC
gene therapy has the potential to eliminate the virus AGTRU. Examples are Assoc. Prof Abdullah Ely,

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