Request for Applications: Mpox Research in South Africa
The SAMRC is partnering with the Department of Science and Innovation through the Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships (SHIP) programme to support research on Mpox in South Africa.
Mpox is caused by the species monkeypox virus (MPXV), genus Orthopoxvirus, discovered in 1958 in a primate research facility in Denmark, with the first human case reported in 1970. Mpox virus infection is caused normally by spill-over events to humans from animals. The virus can also be transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials.
Since January 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported more than 22,000 suspect mpox cases and more than 1,200 deaths. The Republic of the Congo (ROC), which borders DRC to the west, declared a clade I mpox outbreak in April 2024. On 13 August 2024, Africa CDC Director General, Dr Jean Kaseya, declared mpox a public health emergency of continental security, saying there was an urgent need for swift and decisive action by the global community to eliminate the threat of the disease. Following this, on 14 August 2024, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has determined that the upsurge of mpox in the DRC and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations.
In response to the recent announcements, the SAMRC and DSI are redirecting funding to support an mpox research and innovation programme directly aimed at better understanding, preparing for and addressing mpox in South Africa and beyond.
This RFA seeks to support research proposals focused on mpox in the following areas:
|
No: |
Research area |
Details |
|
1. |
Surveillance |
Understanding the prevalence of mpox in South Africa and the circulating strains/clades |
|
2. |
Immunology |
Understanding immune responses to mpox in the South African population, including in the context of other infections and multi-morbidities and impact on disease outcomes |
|
3. |
Diagnostics |
Development of relevant diagnostic tools for the detection of mpox infections |
|
4. |
Mpox and HIV |
Comparison of phenotypic expression in HIV infected vs. HIV uninfected individuals and impact on disease outcomes |
|
5. |
Vaccines |
Studies on candidate vaccines for mpox |
|
6. |
Therapeutics |
Studies on new / repurposed therapeutic agents for treating mpox |
This RFA is seeking to fund collaborative projects between institutions in the target research areas rather than small, siloed projects. Investigators are therefore encouraged to collaborate to develop a single holistic response in each of the research areas. Research to be supported through this RFA may include translational research, laboratory-based research, or hypothesis-driven and hypothesis-generating clinical research, with the objective of improving scientific understanding of the disease in our population and identifying tools for diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
RFA documentation
- Kindly view the Request for application for Mpox research for full details of the call, eligibility and application process.
- Link to online Mpox application https://redcap.link/samrc_mpox
- Detailed budget template
- Declaration and institutional approval
Deadline for online application submission is extended to 31 October 2024, 23:59 SAST.
For further enquiries:
Candice Roux | SAMRC
Grants, Innovation and Product Development (GIPD)
Email: gipd.mpox@mrc.ac.za