News
Explore the latest UWARN newsletter, your dynamic hub for research collaboration and partner achievements. Thank you for advancing research and innovation with UWARN!
UWARN Newsletter Volume 1, Number 2, Aug_Sept_Oct 2023
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Stay Updated with the Latest News from UWARN!
Our new UWARN Newsletter provides a dynamic and invaluable resource dedicated to fostering research collaboration by celebrating the accomplishments and advancements of our collaborative partners and facilitating knowledge exchange within our esteemed network. The UWARN newsletter will be released quarterly, including network announcements, partner highlights, UWARN clinical team updates, resources, and relevant funding opportunities supporting our research initiatives. UWARN Newsletter Volume 1, Number 1, June_July 2023
Dr. Souleymane Mboup is ranked #1 in Senegal among Best Scientists for 2023
Congratulations to UWARN Partner Dr. Souleymane Mboup for being ranked #1 in Senegal among Best Scientists for 2023! Research.com, a leading academic platform for researchers, released the 2023 Edition of the Ranking of Best Scientists in the field of Microbiology, ranking Dr. Souleymane Mboup as #1 in Senegal and #1347 in the world. The ranking is based on D-index (Discipline H-index) metric, which only includes papers and citation values for an examined discipline. The ranking consists of only leading scientists with a D-index of at least 40 for academic publications in Microbiology.
CERI & KRISP Newsletter Apr/May 2023: CLIMADE consortium, Opening of CERI and BMRI and Intensive Genomics Training
In the Apr/May issue of the 2023 newsletter, UWARN partners from CERI/KRISP discuss an incredibly busy and exciting month for CERI and KRISP, centered around the launch of the CLIMADE (Climate Amplified Diseases and Epidemics) consortium and the inauguration of the R1.2 billion Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI) at Stellenbosch University. These events brought together leading experts and stakeholders worldwide to celebrate this momentous occasion and the state-of-the-art facilities that will enable them to lead the way in genomic research. At the same time, 36 fellows from 18 different African countries joined them for an intensive two-week genomics and bioinformatics workshop hosted at CERI as part of their fellowship program. This training initiative and their continued efforts in genomics surveillance and pandemic response helped to re-emphasize the importance of capacity building and knowledge transfer between scientists in the global south.
Congratulations Hegger Fritsch!
Congratulations to Hegger Fritsch, Ph.D. Candidate in UWARN partners Dr. Luiz Carlos Junior Alcantara's group with Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) for her acceptance to attend the Wellcome Connecting Science RNA Transcriptomics Workshop June 23-30 at the Wellcome Genome Campus in the UK. This workshop will include hands-on training in the latest laboratory and computational methods for transcriptomic analysis. Attendees will learn to evaluate advanced RNA transcriptomic analysis methodologies and their applications, appreciate different approaches currently in use to address specific research questions in the field of RNA transcriptomics, assess the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of different transcriptomic methodologies and approaches, and integrate and apply the knowledge and training from the course to their research interests/projects.
CERI & KRISP Newsletter April 2023: Prof. Frank Tanser large grant to HIV-prevention & Opening of BMRI & CERI Labs
In the Mar/Apr issue of the 2023 newsletter, UWARN partners from CERI/KRISP are thrilled to announce that the Director of Population Health Innovation at CERI, Prof. Frank Tanser has been awarded a significant, five-year research grant to develop new HIV-prevention programs for high-risk communities in Sub- Saharan Africa. This grant will enable them to expand their research and surveillance capabilities further and to continue to make significant contributions to HIV prevention programs. Looking ahead, there are many exciting events in store for April. They have the opening of the CERI state-of-the-art facility, a new program with the Africa CDC to receive fellows, and Genomics and TB Symposiums at the opening of the BMRI building.
CERI & KRISP Newsletter Dec 2022: German Chancellor Scholz Praises African Science, Calabash Award & Leading Science in Africa
In the December issue of the 2022 newsletter, UWARN partners from CERI/KRISP reflect on the global impact of their work once again in the spotlight. Testament to this is the numerous awards, publications, and international recognition the team receives. Professor Tulio de Oliveira traveled with Dr. Sikhulile Moyo to Germany to receive the German Africa Prize for their contributions to science during the pandemic. They also used their visit as an opportunity to advocate for a united global health response, calling for transparent, unbiased, and collaborative knowledge sharing between the global north and south. Dr. Yeshnee Naidoo represented CERI and KRISP at the UNISA Calabash Award Ceremony, where they were awarded the Outstanding Educator Award for our Genomics Africa Fellowship program. Dr. Naidoo received the award from UNISA’s chancellor, former President Thabo Mbeki, in Pretoria. They are also advertising seven Postdoctoral Fellowships to join our exciting teams in 2023.
2nd Annual Biological Sciences Conference (From Molecules to Networks)
Congratulations to UWARN Pakistan partner Ms Aqsa Khalid, Research Specialist, Department of Pediatrics, Aga Khan University, for winning an oral presentation award at the 2nd Annual Biological Sciences Conference (From Molecules to Networks) on November 29th, 2022, held at Aga Khan University. Ms Aqsa Khalid presented UWARN data on the Identification of Genetic Variations of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Strain and their Clinical Significance in Karachi, Pakistan. UWARN Pakistan co-PI Dr. Najeeha Iqbal was the Conference Committee Chair, and we would like to acknowledge their outstanding work and congratulate them on their accomplishments with this conference and oral presentation award.
Publications
Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 VOC Neutralization and Novel mAb Reveal Protection against Omicron
UWARN PIs publication on Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 VOC Neutralization and Novel mAb Reveal Protection against Omicron published in Viruses as part of the Special Issue Basic Sciences for the Conquest of COVID-19.
Sixteen novel lineages of SARS-CoV-2 in South Africa
UWARN partner Dr. Tulio de Oliviera of KRISP's paper on the emergence and rapid spread of a sixteen novel lineages of SARS-CoV-2 in South Africa.
Emergence and rapid spread of a new severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage with multiple spike mutations in South Africa
UWARN partner Dr. Tulio de Oliviera authors paper on the emergence and rapid spread of a new severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage with multiple spike mutations in South Africa.