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New UK research consortium to tackle monkeypox outbreak

The UK’s efforts to tackle the monkeypox outbreak will receive a £2 million boost with the creation of a new research consortium.

The consortium will work together to develop better diagnostic tests, identify potential therapies and study vaccine effectiveness and the virus’ spread.

The consortium brings together 25 leading researchers and scientists from 12 institutions across the UK. It has received £2 million from the Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), both part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The consortium is led by The Pirbright Institute and the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. The researchers at institutes and universities will work closely with experts at government agencies to study the current outbreak and inform the public health response in the UK and internationally.

The consortium will focus on building our understanding in a number of key areas.

Developing new tests and identifying potential control measures, including developing sensitive point-of-care tests to speed up diagnosis, such as lateral flow tests or LAMP tests. The lateral flow test development will be conducted with Global Access Diagnostics (GADx) to develop a product which could later be manufactured at scale and used clinically worldwide, including in low- or middle-income countries. The consortium will also be screening potential drugs to treat monkeypox in human cells in the lab to determine which ones could be developed for further testing

Studying the virus, including characterising the genome of the virus and studying how it is evolving, and how this is linked to changes in the transmission and pathology of the virus, as well as understanding the human immune response to the virus and the vaccine, including studying samples from infected individuals.

Learning from the vaccine roll-out, including studying the effectiveness of the smallpox vaccine by tracking the immune responses after primary and secondary vaccination of up to 200 individuals.

Professor Bryan Charleston, co-lead from The Pirbright Institute, said: “The implications of the current monkeypox outbreak are huge. As well as tackling the current outbreak, we also need to be fully prepared for the next outbreak, because worldwide there’s a huge reservoir of infection. One of the key ways we can do this is to develop rapid tests, which are very important to help clinicians on the front line to manage the disease.”

Professor Isabel Oliver, UKHSA Chief Scientific Officer, said: “Thanks to the combined efforts of partners there is very high awareness of the disease, its symptoms and how to seek help and prevent transmission among those at higher risk. It’s encouraging that we’re moving in the right direction with new monkeypox cases currently low. The research from this consortium is vital and will put us in an even stronger position to quickly detect cases and better understand the transmission of the virus, helping to protect more people who are at risk now and from future outbreaks.”

Consortium members include researchers from:

  • Animal and Plant Health Agency
  • Dstl
  • Gadx
  • Guy’s and St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust
  • Imperial College London
  • MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research
  • The Pirbright Institute
  • UK Health Security Agency
  • University of Birmingham
  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Edinburgh
  • University of Oxford
  • University of Surrey

 

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Upcoming Events

USCAP 113th Annual Meeting

Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
23-28 March, 2024

Pathology Horizons 2024

MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath
18-20 April, 2024

Diagnostics North East Conference 2024

The Catalyst, Newcastle upon Tyne
19 April, 2024

ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Fira Gran Via, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
27-30 April 2024

British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference

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2 May 2024

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