The Mpox virus, which has been endemic in parts of Central and West Africa since it was first identified in humans in 1970, has now taken a firm hold on the African continent, and been reported in 116 countries. As of mid-September 2024, over 100,000 cases have been聽, including over 1,500 cases in Canada. All cases in Canada have been caused by the clade IIb Mpox virus, while a more severe variant, clade I, is currently driving the outbreak in several African countries. Over 22,000 cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, leading to more than 1,200 deaths. The presence of both clade I and clade II underscores the urgency of this global public health threat.
Although non-mRNA-based vaccines are available, the evolving nature of the virus and challenges in vaccine distribution raise significant concerns about broader pandemic preparedness. Many unanswered questions remain, ranging from rapid identification of infected individuals, characterization of viral isolates, basic biology of the virus, response to vaccines, and parameters of immune protection and public health strategies to identify individuals at risk. The development of new RNA-based vaccines may be of substantial importance.
With infectious diseases and RNA therapeutics as strategic priorities, 成人大片 University鈥檚聽DNA to RNA (D2R), in partnership with 成人大片鈥檚聽Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4),聽is uniquely positioned to take a leading role in this global health challenge. The D2R Rapid Response Program for Mpox Research is designed to catalyze research that addresses this urgent public health threat by advancing our understanding of Mpox and filling key gaps in areas such as diagnostics, vaccine response, and public health interventions, through short-term, high-impact research projects.
Please join us in congratulating the investigators for their successful applications.
We also wish to thank the scientific reviewers who participated in the rapid review of the submitted proposals.
The awarded projects are:
| Lead Investigator | Project Title |
|---|---|
| J枚rg H. Fritz | Analysis of cross-reactive Mpox-specific B cell responses |
| J枚rg H. Fritz | Identification of antigen targets for Mpox vaccine development |
| Leo Liu | A Novel Self-Amplifying mRNA Platform for Mpox Vaccines |
| Erwin Schurr | The role of respiratory immune cells in the early phase of pox virus infections |
| Silvia Vidal | Mouse models for orthopoxvirus research and therapeutic development |
Press release coming soon.
