iii to collaborate with international partners to mitigate impact of COVID-19
Published: 17 June 2020
Institute scientists are among University of Glasgow researchers that have been awarded funding totalling £710,330 from the GCRF to undertake short-term research projects to urgently assist institutions in Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, and Colombia.
Institute scientists are among a group of researchers from across the University of Glasgow who have committed to supporting international partners with a series of research collaborations to help mitigate the global health impacts of COVID-19.
Funding totalling £710,330, awarded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and allocated to the University from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), will be used to undertake short-term projects to urgently assist institutions in Colombia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi.
Projects include:
- Evaluating the risk to healthcare workers in Malawi - led by Dr Antonia Ho
- Tracking COVID-19 in Uganda - led by Dr Jennifer Serwanga
- Hospital based COVID-19 response capacity development in Tanzania - led by Dr Jo Halliday
- Building community-led capacity to respond to COVID-19 in Colombia - led by Dr Mo Hume
Dr Ho, Consultant in Infectious Diseases at the Centre for Virus Research (CVR), will work in collaboration with the University of Malawi College of Medicine.
The project aims to validate existing COVID-19 diagnostics and evaluate a novel point-of-care test in the south-east African country, whilst assessing healthcare worker exposure to SARS-CoV2 in parallel.
A substantial number of infections there have been reported in healthcare workers, and the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), infection prevention, and control measures in healthcare facilities is thought to contribute to the increased risk.
The global pandemic has brought health inequalities across the world into sharp focus, highlighting the disparity between nations’ capacity and capability to test and treat the virus.
Further north, in the Republic of Uganda, the true incidence of infection is unknown. There, Jennifer Serwanga, Betty Oliver, Bernard Kikaire, and colleagues at the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Uganda Virus Research Institute and Uganda Ministry of Health are creating a framework to track and sample COVID-19 cases and establish a biorepository of serum obtained from those that have recovered from the virus.
Professor Brian Willet, from the CVR, will support local efforts to identify immunoassays for countrywide surveillance to detect population exposure.
In Tanzania, Dr Jo Halliday will be working with Professor Blandina Mmbaga, from the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute (KCRI), to lead a project aligned to their national COVID-19 response, which will provide critical infection prevention and control support and epidemiological capacity strengthening for the local COVID-19 response.
The University's efforts will also extend to South America, where Dr Mo Hume’s project will work with SCIAF and Diocese of Quibdó to work toward community-led understanding and responses to the challenges of COVID-19 within indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities in Chocó.
Communities in Chocó are already affected by a pre-existent humanitarian crisis and ongoing armed conflict, so they face increasing challenges in the context of the pandemic.
The project will build awareness of public and environmental health among communities, and document learning from the emergency response.
The global pandemic has brought health inequalities across the world into sharp focus, highlighting the disparity between nations’ capacity and capability to test and treat the virus.
Professor Dan Haydon, chair of the GCRF Coordination Group and Director of Glasgow Centre for International Development, said: “The University of Glasgow is proud to be able to fund urgent research with our international partners in response to this unprecedented global health emergency.
“The University is committed to world-changing research addressing inequalities and tackling One Health – and these issues are highlighted in the global impacts of COVID-19.
"We hope our researchers – working closely with collaborators and partners from around the world on these projects – can make a real difference in the global efforts against COVID-19.”
Bonnie Dean, Vice Principal for Corporate Engagement & Innovation, said: “The University has a strong focus on international development research, so we are proud to help address the global challenge of COVID-19 through our world-class researchers.
“One of UofG’s great strengths is the international links we have with our international partners and collaborators.
"By working together, with our expertise and their local knowledge, the University hopes to contribute meaningfully to united efforts to manage the effects of this new coronavirus pandemic.”
Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk / 0141 330 6557 or 0141 330 4831
First published: 17 June 2020