Cape Town - South Africa's position as a leading clinical research destination in Africa took centre stage as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) convened a National Dialogue on Strengthening the Clinical Trials Ecosystem on 14-15 July 2026 in Cape Town. The two-day meeting brought together a broad range of stakeholders to reflect on the country's strengths, identify opportunities for improvement and help shape a shared vision for the future of clinical trials in South Africa

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) proudly congratulates Professor Rachel Jewkes, Executive Scientist at the SAMRC and Honorary Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), on receiving the 2025/2026 National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)-South32 Lifetime Award.

Compared to daily oral pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), lenacapavir reduces the number of new HIV infections by many more; causes slightly fewer serious unwanted effects; and, results in little to no difference in overall unwanted effects or risk of death. Lenacapavir likely causes more mild to moderate injection site reactions than oral PrEP.

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) recently hosted Professor Tulio de Oliveira, Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University, for a President and CEO Lecture titled "Accelerating genomics-based surveillance for disease-causing pathogens in Africa."

South Africa is facing a growing diabetes crisis that demands urgent, coordinated action from government, researchers, healthcare providers, civil society and communities, according to Dr Patrick Ngassa Piotie, Chairperson of the Diabetes Alliance and Co-founder of the University of Pretoria Diabetes Research Centre, during a recent South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) President and CEO Lecture.