Associated organisationsLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · Uganda Virus Research Institute · University of CambridgeEurope PMC affiliations are not treated as award recipients or mapped locations.
Funding£4.6M
PeriodSept 2015 — Dec 2020
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Infectious diseases kill more people in Africa than any other cause, yet the continent lacks the scientific capacity to develop its own vaccines and diagnostics. HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis alone account for millions of deaths each year, while neglected infections cause widespread disability and economic damage. The MUII-plus centre in Uganda aims to close this gap by building a self-sustaining community of African infection and immunity researchers. It will train career scientists through fellowships, strengthen bioinformatics expertise, and coordinate master’s-level teaching across Makerere University’s colleges. The centre also plans to exploit Africa’s high genetic diversity—far greater than in Europe or Asia—to uncover new insights into how the immune system works. If successful, the programme will shift the region from relying on imported medical knowledge to generating its own. That could mean faster responses to emerging outbreaks, locally relevant vaccine development, and a deeper fundamental understanding of why some people resist infection while others succumb. The work is primarily about building research infrastructure and human capital, not delivering a specific product—but without that infrastructure, Africa’s health priorities will continue to be set elsewhere.
View original technical description
Infectious diseases remain the commonest cause of death in Africa, with HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and respiratory infections major contributors (Figure 1).1 Neglected infectious diseases cause widespread morbidity and economic loss.2 Yet effective vaccines are lacking for HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and helminths, and improved diagnostics and interventions are required. Concurrently, escalating non-communicable disease (NCD) rates3 present opportunities to explore infection-NCD relationships in ways no longer possible in resource-rich settings4 and genetic studies promise new insights into immunobiology because genetic variability in Africa is so high.5, 6 These African challenges and opportunities call for Infection & Immunity (I&I) research, in which key disciplines are immunology, molecular biology and bioinformatics. High infectious disease endemicity means that African scientists have unrivalled opportunities to conduct translational I&I research of global importance, embedded within strong epidemiological study designs (Figure 2). However, strong African capacity is necessary for sustainable, regionally-based research on African health priorities, and development in basic sciences has lagged behind clinical and epidemiological expertise.7 In Uganda, this gap hasbeen recognised: the National Development Plan8 and Vision 20409 prioritise science investment; basic science is a research priority at Makerere University;10 an African Development Bank (ADB) loan is developing laboratory infrastructure at Ugandan institutions (question(q)1j-k). The Makerere University UVRI Centre of Excellence for Infection and Immunity research and training (MUII-plusi) strategy is to drive I&I science in Uganda by bringing together scientists from the foremost health research institute (the Uganda Virus Research Institute, UVRI), and foremost university (Makerere), with their world-class, external collaborators, to support excellence in I&I research and training. Building on experience since 2008, and aligning with the Trust's DELTAS strategy [indicated in italics] MUII-plus will 1. Promote Africa-relevant I&I scientific excellence [Scientific Quality]. Transitioning from a training programme, the MUII-plus Centre of Excellence will comprise senior Ugandan I&Iscientists and young, emerging leaders, their research groups, trainees, and international collaborators: a mutually-supportive platform for world-class Africa-relevant science and training. 2. Provide career training for African I&I research leaders [Research Training] through a. Career-pathway fellowships: Uganda-based, with international collaboration and cosupervision b. Focus on bioinformatics: ring-fenced bioinformatic fellowships and project grants; shortcourses integrated with partner-network opportunities c. Focus on emerging & re-emerging infectious diseases: ring-fenced PhD opportunities at College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) d. Improved efficiency and quality in I&I Masters training: Coordination of courses across Makerere colleges; expert input from Uganda partners, and video-conferencing from Cambridge e. Professional development and citizenship: mentored leadership experience; curriculum of workshops f. Planning for sustainability and succession 3. Utilise and enhance the UVRI-Makerere I&I research environment [Management/Environment]: a. Drive research in new laboratories developed during phase 1 (MUII-1i), in new, CoVAB, biosecurity laboratories, in the MRC-funded Uganda Medical Informatics Centre b. Strengthen research support at lead institution, UVRI 4. Engage in outreach [Citizenship]: developing communication skills; raising public awareness, networking scientists and trainees, sharing resources and research findings, interacting with policy makers, promoting implementation
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