Page 169 - SAMRC Annual Report 2024-2025

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Health and Human Development (NICHD), National (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations.
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Office of This global alert emphasized the need for
AIDS Research (OAR). It is anticipated that awards international collaboration and innovative solutions
will be made towards the end of 2025. to tackle the disease.
The SAMRC hosted a symposium in January 2025 to While South Africa has reported relatively few
showcase the projects from phase 2. Unfortunately, Mpox cases, there were notable concerns linked
two grant writing workshops planned around to the higher morbidity and mortality rates in
the symposium could not proceed due to travel individuals with HIV disease. This subset of patients
restrictions. experienced severe disease, resulting in increased
hospitalizations and, tragically, three reported deaths.
SAMRC-ANRS Partnership to These cases underscored the need for focused
Support Tuberculosis Research research to understand the relationship between
Mpox and HIV, as well as to develop strategies for
Another new partnership approved in 2023/24 prevention, treatment, and surveillance. As a result,
was one with the ANRS-MIE (Agence Nationale the SAMRC, in collaboration with the DSTI through
du Recherche du SIDA, Maladies Infectieuses the SHIP programme, launched an RFA to support
Emergentes) in France, to support TB research. research on Mpox. After a rigorous peer review
ANRS is the principal French Government Infectious process, 6 proposals were selected for funding,
Diseases Research Agency and is the main funder of with two focusing on vaccine development, one
infectious diseases research in francophone Africa. on monoclonal antibodies as a therapeutic, two on
As a means to extend this support to anglophone diagnostics and one on surveillance. The research
Africa and to encourage collaboration between and innovation projects funded through this
researchers from France and South Africa, ANRS- initiative are aimed at providing tools to monitor the
MIE committed up to €2 million over three years prevalence of, diagnose, prevent and treat Mpox to
to jointly support research in South Africa and enable South Africa and the continent to prepare for
France with a contribution from the SAMRC of up to a potential future Mpox emergency.
R19.5 million. The call for proposals for this
partnership was launched in August 2024, inviting Project Africa GRADIENT (Genomic
applications from collaborative teams of South Research Approach for Diversity and
African and French researchers in a variety of TB Optimising Therapeutics)
priority areas. The initiative received 20 applications,
spanning research and innovation across the TB The Project Africa GRADIENT programme is an
disease spectrum. Following a rigorous peer review innovative funding initiative established through a
and evaluation process, five projects focused on collaboration between GlaxoSmithKline R&D Ltd
cutting-edge research on mRNA vaccine strategies; (GSK) and Novartis SA (Pty) Ltd and is administered
AI-powered assessment of pulmonary and by the SAMRC’s GIPD unit. The core focus of this
subclinical TB; individualised therapy approaches; programme is to explore the role of genetic diversity
in African populations and how it contributes to
innovative screening techniques; and cost-effective variability in drug exposure, efficacy, and safety,
case-finding approaches were selected for funding.
particularly for the treatment of TB and malaria. These
two diseases remain major health concerns in Africa,
Mpox Programme and understanding genetic factors that influence
In April 2024, the Republic of the Congo declared a treatment outcomes is critical for developing more
Clade I Mpox outbreak. Subsequently, on August 13, effective, personalized therapies.
2024, Dr. Jean Kaseya, the Director-General of the
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention In 2022, the GRADIENT programme awarded
(Africa CDC), declared Mpox a public health funding to nine research projects, all of which are
emergency of continental security. This declaration set to conclude by August 2025. Since its launch
stressed the urgency for rapid and decisive global in 2022, the programme has made considerable
action to contain and eliminate the threat of the strides in both scientific discovery and academic
disease. On August 14, 2024, Dr. Tedros Adhanom development. To date, the programme has resulted
Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health in several peer-reviewed publications that contribute
Organization (WHO), confirmed the situation as a valuable knowledge to the global health community.
Public Health Emergency of International Concern Additionally, the programme has provided critical

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