D71TW012568

Developing an in vivo infectious disease training program at the University of Cape Town - project summary.

This application seeks to plan and develop a research training program at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that will focus on understanding basic mechanisms underlying bacterial disease in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Bacterial infectious diseases (excluding MTB) are a huge public health problem in SSA as infections caused by bacterial pathogens, such as Salmonella enterica and Streptococcus pneumonia, are major causes of mortality.

The impact of these pathogens is compounded by widespread antimicrobial resistance (AMR), vaccines against these pathogens developed outside of SSA being less effective at preventing serious illness and increasing pathogen virulence. Combined, these limit treatment options of these recognized pathogens and promote emergence of new bacterial causes of mortality (e.g. Klebsiella pneumonia).

While microbiological and clinical research groups in South Africa contribute significantly to global understanding of these diseases, these groups do not significantly complement this work with complementary mechanistic in vivo studies. Thus, an urgent need exists to develop advanced regional training in undertaking such in vivo research into bacterial pathogenesis and host immunity.

The objective of our proposed training program is to fill this gap by leveraging existing strengths and unique resources both at UCT and at our overseas partners at the University of California Davis (UCD) to develop a research training program. UCT is home to a world class animal facility that is underutilized by researchers studying non-MTB bacterial infections. UCD has unique resources that support animal modelling including the #1 ranked veterinary school globally, the California National Primate Research Center, the internationally renowned Mouse Biology Program, and a T32 supported predoctoral program focused on animal models of infectious diseases. Thus, unique expertise exists at UCD that will be invaluable in supporting the UCT program.

We propose a 2-year planning process that will develop an advanced training platform in in vivo studies of non-MTB bacterial infection in SSA which we will submit as a competitive proposal for a D43 global infectious disease research training program. Project leaders at UCT and UCD have already identified existing overlapping research strengths that will benefit from in vivo disease modelling at UCT. D71 supported symposia and researcher exchanges between UCT and UCD will support the key interactions enabling realization of a competitive and deliverable D43 program.

The planning of this program will also require implementation of ethically approved SOPs, acquisition of permits to allow transfer of state-of-the-art research reagents to UCT, as well as development of a new research training program for junior investigators and fellows. The final submission of a competitive D43 program grant will present a program that will enable high impact mechanistic bacterial infection biology studies at UCT. The research that emanates from this will accelerate regional and global control of devastating human bacterial infectious diseases.

University Of Cape Town

THE JOHN E. FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER (FIC) SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING TO REDUCE DISPARITIES IN GLOBAL HEALTH AND TO FOSTER PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN U.S. SCIENTISTS AND THEIR COUNTERPARTS ABROAD. FIC SUPPORTS BASIC BIOLOGICAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH, AS WELL AS RELATED RESEARCH TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT. THE RESEARCH PORTFOLIO IS DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT A WIDE VARIETY OF FUNDING MECHANISMS TO MEET PROGRAMMATIC OBJECTIVES.

93.989 - International Research and Research Training

Fogarty International Center (FIC) [HHS - NIH]

South Africa

Foreign

Planning Grant for Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (D71 No Clinical Trials Allowed) (PAR-19-362)