Submission ID 117078
| Issue/Objective | Stansile is a research organization dedicated to democratizing science and technology for equitable access, serving as a catalyst for South-South and North-South collaborations to address transborder challenges and bridge gaps in global health partnerships across the Great Lakes Region of Africa, most particularly in conflic zones. Here, we present an adaptive and collaborative R&D approach incorporating problem identification, capabilities mapping, response optimisation, and scalable standardisation to enhance global health security and outbreak preparedness. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Key focus areas include fieldable genomics, data integration for global health modelling, biotechnology R&D, clinical research capacity building, and science tourism, all aimed at fostering international collaboration to tackle global health security and outbreak challenges. |
| Results | Through its research efforts, Stansile has contributed to the genomic and epidemiological characterization of Hemorrhagic fevers in Rwanda and the Great Lake region. Genomic sequencing of 18 cases of Marburg in Rwanda through a collaborative effort revealed a lineage with limited internal diversity, closely related to a 2014 Ugandan strain. This suggested a single zoonotic spillover from Rousettus aegyptiacus bats and minimal human-to-human transmission, while serological testing confirmed prior exposure in 17% of high-risk individuals. This led to a successful one-health approach towards sustainable response. In a remote zone of Kamituga, South Kivu, DRC, with no proper roads or electricity, Stansile's fieldable genomics program led to the discovery of a novel Clade 1b Mpox virus (MPXV) responsible for the current mpox outbreak, distinct from previously known lineages and undetectable by standard Clade I qPCR assays. A new Clade 1b-specific qPCR assay was developed, validated on 92 samples, and integrated into surveillance efforts in multiple countries so far. A novel ELISA platform was established and optimized locally to carry out serological studies (n=120 and n=48), and this revealed MPXV infection rates of 18% and 17% among professional sex workers and household transmission in 50% of surveyed families (n=108), unveiling the secondary rate of transmission and confim spread within households. Beyond outbreak response, Stansile integrates genomics, epidemiology, climate, and human mobility data to predict Mpox hotspots and their severity in the Great Lakes Region. Additionally, malaria surveillance efforts concentrate on enhancing diagnostics and monitoring the spread of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Through its data-driven and innovation-led approach, Stansile is enhancing scientific capacity, fostering regional collaboration, and advancing sustainable solutions to complex global health challenges. These efforts underscore the critical role of synergistic public-private partnerships in addressing transboundary health threats that transcend national jurisdictions, and supporting the population in conflict zones and require coordinated, multi-sectoral governance. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Jean Pierre Musabyimana Rwanda Biomedical Center Pacifique Ndishimnye Stansile - African Institute for Mathematical Science |
