Two IPBS projects selected in the SAMRC/ANRS MIE Joint Call on Tuberculosis Research between South Africa and France
Prof. Denis Hudrisier and Dr. Jérôme Nigou have both had their French–South African collaborative projects on tuberculosis (TB) selected in the first SAMRC/ANRS MIE Joint Call for Tuberculosis Research. Each will work closely with their respective South African partners on a project expected to contribute significantly to the fight against TB.
Dr. Denis Hudrisier, professor and researcher in the Mycobacterial Interactions with Host Cells team, and Dr. Jérôme Nigou, head of the Immunomodulation by Mycobacterial Lipids and Glycoconjugates team, along with their South African collaborators — Dr. Kristie Bloom from the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg) and Prof. Robin Wood from the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (Cape Town) — have been selected for funding under the SAMRC/ANRS MIE Joint Call on Tuberculosis Research.
Launched for the first time in 2024 by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the French ANRS | Emerging Infectious Diseases (ANRS | MIE), this joint initiative aims to accelerate global efforts in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) by fostering international collaboration between South African and French research teams. A total of five collaborative projects have been selected, all focused on advancing research against this major global health threat. TB remains the world’s leading cause of death from an infectious agent, claiming nearly 2 million lives each year.
The 3-year project (2025–2028) led by Denis Hudrisier and Kristie Bloom, titled “Advancing mRNA Vaccine Strategies Against Tuberculosis”, aims to adapt mRNA vaccine technologies to target Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) specifically. The goal is to develop a vaccine capable of eliciting strong T-cell responses against Mtb, overcoming the limitations of the existing BCG vaccine, which provides only partial protection, particularly in adolescents and adults. To enhance efficacy while minimizing environmental impact, the project will also explore the use of eco-friendly lipid nanoparticles (“green” lipids) as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based lipids for mRNA delivery.
The parallel 3-year project (2025–2028) led by Jérôme Nigou and Robin Wood, titled “Towards Simple Screening of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Transmitters”, seeks to improve the identification of individuals likely to transmit Mtb but who remain undetected through conventional clinical methods. Recent findings have decoupled TB transmission from active disease, highlighting the role of subclinical cases and seemingly healthy individuals who expel Mtb-containing aerosols. This project aims to develop a simple, cost-effective, and non-invasive biomarker-based screening approach to identify these transmitters, thereby informing public health interventions and helping reduce transmission in high-burden communities.
In both cases, the awarded grants will support the implementation of the projects, facilitate researcher mobility, and promote the sharing of equipment, resources, and knowledge between institutions in South Africa and France.