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E Jane Morris acgt.co.za/sami

The South African Malaria Initiative An Overview. E Jane Morris http://www.acgt.co.za/sami. Scale of the malaria problem. At least 1 million people die in Africa each year from malaria Over 200 million clinical malaria cases in Africa each year

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E Jane Morris acgt.co.za/sami

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  1. The South African Malaria Initiative An Overview E Jane Morris http://www.acgt.co.za/sami

  2. Scale of the malaria problem • At least 1 million people die in Africa each year from malaria • Over 200 million clinical malaria cases in Africa each year • Over 4 million people in SA live in malaria areas (10% of the population) • Almost 80 million cases each year in the Southern Africa malaria control area

  3. South Africa: Distribution of Malaria Reference: MARA/AMRA project

  4. The South African Malaria Initiative • Started in January 2005 when a core group of researchers from around the country met at University of Pretoria to discuss a collaborative initiative to promote the use of advanced biotechnologies in malaria drug discovery, diagnostics and epidemiology • Conceived as a network of researchers from key institutions in South Africa • Managed by the University of Pretoria through the African Centre for Gene Technologies

  5. Organizations involved in SAMI • University of Pretoria • CSIR • University of the Witwatersrand • Medical Research Council • University of Cape Town • University of KwaZulu-Natal • University of Limpopo • University of Stellenbosch • Rhodes University • National Institute for Communicable Diseases ……and others!

  6. Malaria research in South Africa South Africa ISI rated publications: • An average of 13 per year: 1990 – 1994 • An average of 25 per year: 1995 - 1999 • An average of 40 per year: 2000 to 2004 Comment: South Africa has a steadily increasing Malaria research output.

  7. Our strengths • Excellent base of cutting edge research and facilities to draw on • Networked approach does not require establishment of expensive infrastructure • Unique holdings of live mosquito cultures • Access to field sites in many African countries. • Linkages to malaria collaborators in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia. • WHO/TDR Synthetic/Medicinal Chemistry workstation at UCT focusing on lead identification/optimization • Includes Wellcome Trust International Senior Research Fellows

  8. External linkages • IBSA • MIM/TDR - WHO • MMV • Wellcome Trust

  9. Organization • Steering Committee • International Advisory Committee • Dr Olumide Ogundahunsi (WHO/TDR) • Dr Kiaran Kirk (Australia) • Dr Yongyuth Yuthavong (Thailand) • Dr David Woods (South Africa) • Dr Claudio Daniel-Ribeiro ??

  10. SAMI will provide: • A regional malaria technology platform • National and regional capacity building resources • Added impetus and drive to solve the malaria problem • An African focus on an African problem

  11. South African Malaria Initiative • Business Plan developed, accepted and funds provided by Department of Science and Technology • Research programmes in: • Drug discovery • Diagnostics • The parasite-vector interface and molecular epidemiology

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