Aids research coup for SA
IN A coup for South Africa, Nobel Laureate Francoise Barré-Sinoussi has accepted a seat on the scientific advisory board of the Centre of the Aids Programme of Research in SA (Caprisa). The French virologist, who discovered HIV in 1983, will through Caprisa play an active role in guiding Aids research in South Africa.
Caprisa, which is based at the University of KwaZuluNatal, brings together scientists from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, and the universities of the Western Cape, Cape Town and Columbia.
The announcement of Barré-Sinoussi’s appointment was made yesterday at a meeting of the Caprisa science advisory board in Ballito.
It was attended by Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor, UNAids deputy executive director Luiz Loures, US ambassador-at-large Deborah Birx, and National Research Foundation acting chief executive Beverley Damonse.
Barré-Sinoussi said yesterday that she had taken a keen interest in the “world-class” research undertaken by Caprisa over the past few years.
Professor Salim Abdool Karim, director of Caprisa, said Barré-Sinoussi’s involvement would enable South Africa to make even bigger contributions to global HIV research.
“Great discoveries in science require fearless leaders who persevere against the odds. We are very fortunate to have Professor Barré-Sinoussi, who is one such fearless leader, to advise Caprisa on its future plans,” said Abdool Karim.
Two further announcements made yesterday were the establishment of a R2 million fund to host distinguished international scientists in South Africa, and the establishment of the country’s 15th centre of research excellence, at UKZN.
The lectureship fund for eminent visiting scientists is an initiative of the Medical Research Council and Abdool Karim and his wife, Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim.
The Abdool Karims donated R1m towards the fund, using the money Quarraisha received when she was honoured with the 2014 TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize from the World Academy of Sciences and the money Salim received for his Kwame Nkrumah Award from the AU.
Medical Research Council president Professor Glenda Gray explained that the lectureship fund would build links between local researchers and top international scientists.
The Hoosen Coovadia lectureship series, and the Mervyn Susser and Zena Stein lectureship series, have been named after three scientists who were mentors to the Abdool Karims.
“Professors Hoosen (Jerry) Coovadia, Mervyn Susser and Zena Stein are world-renowned South African scientists who are being acknowledged with these lectureships for their significant contributions to medical research in diseases affecting the poor and vulnerable in Africa,” Gray said.
Before announcing the new DST-NRF centre of excellence in HIV prevention, Pandor spoke of the gains which had been made in fighting the HIV epidemic, and praised Abdool Karim for his leadership of Caprisa and previously of the Medical Research Council.
Pandor was pleased that South Africa was providing affordable testing and counselling services, that 2.6 million people were able to have ARV treatment, and that Caprisa would embark on more “exciting” work.
However, she was concerned that the humanities and social sciences were seemingly absent in combating HIV.