The Uganda Schistosomiasis Multidisciplinary Research Center (U-SMRC) has been established to build expertise and understanding of the underlying biological determinants of severe schistosomal morbidity and to develop and identify appropriate interventions for prevention and management of this important disease.
OUR SPECIFIC AIMS
To compare early-life Schistosoma mansoni (Sm) infection and Sm-specific immune responses between Lake Albert (LA) and Lake Victoria (LV) regions and identify co-exposures that modulate Sm-specific immune responses and morbidity risk.
NEWS & INSIGHTS
Blog
Dr Malla Rao’s visit to the Uganda Schistosomiasis Research Centre at the UVRI
In January 2024, we were privileged to host Dr Rao Malla, the program officer for NIH-funded Uganda Schistosomiasis Research Centre(U-SMRC) at the Uganda Virus Research Institute. Our scientists, Dr. Gyaviira Nkurunungi and Dr. Moses Egesa supported by our laboratory team members, Emmanuella Driciru and Gary Anguandia, were delighted to give Dr Malla a tour of the laboratories at the institute. The tour began with a visit to our Category 2 Immunology laboratory from where Dr. Malla explored our Flow Cytometry laboratory. Dr Nkurunungi taking Dr Malla through the flow cytometry laboratory. Dr Malla in the snail laboratory with Dr Egesa, Ms. Emmanuella Driciru and Mr. Gary Anguandia He also visited the MRC/UVRI immunovirology and molecular biology (and sequencing) laboratories and the central clinical diagnostics laboratory. Dr Malla finally visited the freezer houses and the on-site liquid nitrogen storage. These laboratories contribute to our work under U-SMRC. After the laboratory tours and discussion, the team had a lunch get together with U-SMRC Principal Investigator Prof Alison Elliott and the Uganda administration team (Victoria Bukirwa, Raymond Muganyizi, Moses Kizza). Through this comprehensive tour, the team had an opportunity to showcase the central role that our laboratories play in schistosomiasis research.
Blog
Understanding the process for obtaining Nagoya protocol approval in Uganda: an engagement with the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology
Are you a researcher or a research team wondering if you will need the Nagoya protocol approval to transfer genetic samples outside Uganda for whatever reason? You may find our experience of obtaining the Nagoya protocol approval to transfer snail and worm genetic material valuable. We are a strong team of scientists at different career levels and research administrators at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) and the Vector Control Division (VCD) at the Ministry of Health, in partnership with other international universities, exploring why there is a difference in Bilharzia severity among Ugandan populations living beside Lake Albert and the Albert Nile in West and Northern Uganda (LA region), compared to those of the Lake Victoria (LV region) in Central and Eastern Uganda. Funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), capacity building is a vital aspect of our work, and as such our enthusiastic students obtain placements to study and work abroad in world class laboratories of our partners institutions such as the University of Leiden and University of Glasgow. Likewise, we warmly welcome students seeking placements from the region and the rest of the world. Foreign lab placements may require the students to carry certain genetic materials from Uganda to their respective countries, in our case our students will be required to ship snail and worm genetic material to our partners in Belgium and the UK. We had earlier obtained all the local research clearance for our study to start data collection in the field but were ambivalent about if we were exempted from the Nagoya protocol. Subsequently, we invited Mr Innocent Akampurira, the Access, Benefit and Sharing (ABS) Coordinator at the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (UNCST) to enlighten the team about the process for obtaining the Nagoya protocol approval in Uganda. UNCST is at the forefront, issuing permits for research and ABS, ensuring that agreements contain adequate provisions for sharing benefits, and establishing a database to track these agreements. The regulatory body is also in charge of monitoring the use of genetic resources within and outside Uganda, ensuring that the country keeps representative samples and specimens, and overseeing compliance regarding technology transfer and information exchange. The captivating half- day engagement started with the U-SMRC project summary from the study Principal Investigator, Prof. Alison Elliott, followed by a presentation from Mr Akampurira. He stated that in Uganda, the Nagoya protocol had been in effect since 2014, and is operated in conjunction with other regulations, such as the national access to benefit-sharing guidelines and the national access to genetics regulations. Its primary purpose is to regulate both academic and non-academic/commercial research involving the transfer of genetic material outside Uganda. The Nagoya protocol, he explained, was not just another set of rules but rather a legal framework aligned with the Convention on Biological Diversity's objectives: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources. The process for approval was rather perplexing at the start, but Mr Akampurira outdid himself by explaining all that is required of us to obtain the approvals. First, we had to obtain all the ethical approvals from UNCST, which we had done. Second, we needed to fill in the relevant forms including the "Prior Informed Consent" (PIC), a formal agreement between the researchers and the resource owners, ensuring that the resources were being used with respect and fairness; the Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT) to ensure fair and equitable benefit sharing; the Material Transfer Agreement (MTA), negotiated between the holder of an access permit and a relevant lead agency or community on terms of transfer and use of genetic material and ultimately, the Access Permit. All these form templates can be found at https://wipolex-res.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/ug/ug021en.html The complex part, he emphasised, for our study would be identifying the owner of the snails and the worms. The resource owner could be an individual, government entity or the community. For our study, we agreed to record the VCD as the owner, for they hold the surveillance mandate for all vector borne diseases. We are currently in the process of filling in the required forms and hope to obtain our approvals in the shortest possible time. We are excited to keep you posted about how our approval process turned out with UNCST in our next installment. Special thanks go to Mr Innocent Akampurira and the entire team at U-SMRC. A recording of this is insightful session can be accessed at; https://zoom.us/rec/play/gOiFOEx9ya8rnqePcrjrnVP34hQ3Wqc13rl1GUsGJxXKr7eFZDN4HK-XCnCMx5eGInfIu0xK6Q5h_7yt.IasejaC92ULkl19i?autoplay=true&startTime=1696226323000 Passcode: eya$*ZM8 Written by Victoria Bukirwa and Ritah Namagembe
Blog
A glimpse into the heart of biomedical research: participant recruitment on the shores of Lake Albert
As an Immunology Masters student eager to delve into the world of biomedical research and public health, I recently started my yearlong work placement at the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit. Having Schistosomiasis as the main focus of my research, I was invited to come along on a 12-day field trip to the shores of Lake Albert for a Uganda Schistosomiasis Multi-disciplinary Research Center (U-SMRC) study to gain a deeper understanding of the current situation surrounding Schistosomiasis in rural Uganda, and to experience a vital step in biomedical research studies - recruitment and sampling of participants. The heart of any scientific study lies in its participants, making participant recruitment a vital part of the process, including identifying suitable candidates, obtaining informed consent, and ensuring their commitment to the study. The participants for the study were recruited in the villages surrounding the Buhuka Health Center III where were based, and they were then brought to the health center for assessment and subsequent sampling of blood, urine and stool. I had the privilege to shadow and work alongside experienced researchers as they engaged with the local communities, assessed whether the participants were deemed suitable to partake in the study, and processed the samples in the laboratory for diagnostics and storing for subsequent in-depth analysis back at the institute. [caption id="attachment_2839" align="alignnone" width="986"] Immunology laboratory[/caption] I took great interest in the laboratory diagnostics department and spent several days working alongside the lab team to test the samples for diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and malaria, and to prepare them for analysis back at the research unit. I deeply appreciated the team’s willingness and time they invested to guide me through the processes, for instance through performing quality controls on the malaria diagnoses I conducted. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to work with the team responsible for the processing of the participants’ stool samples. This involved testing the samples for parasitic infections, processing them to enable miracidia hatching, and the storage of the miracidia for subsequent DNA analysis. The prevalence of Schistosomiasis within the participant samples was very high, to the point where it became unusual if someone was not currently infected with the parasite. It was good to get a view on Schistosomiasis both on a public health level as well as through the microscope. Before this trip, I was aware of the persistence of Schistosomiasis as a significant health concern in (rural) Uganda. However, to witness the harsh realities of the high prevalence of this parasite infection amongst other infectious diseases such as HIV, on a firsthand basis, brought home the gravity of the situation in a way that no story or book ever could. The experiences underscored the challenges faced by the local community on a daily basis, such as an inaccessibility to clean water and a lack of suitable interventions, thus highlighting the urgency and importance of the ongoing research and intervention efforts. Throughout the field trip, I had the privilege of helping and working alongside a team of dedicated scientists and doctors who generously shared their knowledge and expertise. Their dedication to the research was strongly present in all aspects of their work, which in some cases lasted until late at night. This together with their strong passion for biomedical research and a big heart for the local communities, served as great inspiration for my future career aspirations. It therefore goes without saying that this field trip with a team of the Uganda Virus Research Institute(UVRI) has been an invaluable experience that has deepened my understanding of a vital part of good scientific research and has given me a good insight into the current challenges and severity thereof, that rural Uganda faces when it comes to Schistosomiasis. Other than the enriching research experiences during the field trip, I had the privilege of encountering some remarkable wildlife and witnessing amazing views of the region. Almost every morning, a sunbird stopped by my window to grace my day, and in the evening the fireflies would come and light up the greenery next to where we stayed. [caption id="attachment_2840" align="alignnone" width="943"] Sunbird[/caption] As our accommodation was a half hour drive further up from the valley where the health clinic is, every morning we would drive down from the hills into the East African Rift Valley. The drive was one of my favourite parts as from the top of the hill, you got a view from the entire valley with its villages nestled along the shore of Lake Albert, the vast expanse of the lake itself, and even the faraway hills of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the other side. All this together made for a breath-taking view, one I will certainly not forget for a long time to come. [caption id="attachment_2837" align="alignnone" width="1143"] View over valley[/caption] I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to have learned from experts in the field. The experience has not only reaffirmed my commitment to a career in medical research and public health, but it has also shown me the beauty of the Ugandan countryside with its spectacular views and wildlife. I look forward to applying the knowledge and insights gained during this field trip to try and make a meaningful difference in global health, like the U-SMRC team currently is doing. Written by: Joas Sterk
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CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Welcome to the Career Development section of our website, where we are excited to showcase the diverse and impactful projects undertaken by our talented PhD fellows.
In this section, we provide a glimpse into the cutting-edge research our PhD fellows are engaged in, highlighting their innovative ideas, and the potential implications of their work.
Partners
This project is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, under award U01AI168609.
