MPRU Achievements
Since its inception, MPRU has facilitated and participated in multiple North-South collaborations, with partners across the UK, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda, working on understanding and controlling mucosal pathogens that threaten health especially in low and middle income countries (LMICs).
In the first 3 years, the MPRU has achieved the following goals:
- The establishment of a research infrastructure that supports & mentors early career researchers & early group leaders
- Engagement with LMIC communities & policymakers
- Research programme that targets problems of critical public health importance:
- Epidemiology & biology of mucosal pathogen carriage & transmission
- Determinants of protection against mucosal pathogens
- Vaccine impact
- Mucosal pathogen epidemics (incl. meningitis and SARS COV2)
To this end, MPRU researchers have published many papers, including 34 publications led by MPRU early career researchers. MPRU researchers have also served on 19 committees, co-wrote 4 policy documents, helped organize 5 conferences, sponsored or co-sponsored 5 training courses and collaborated on 20+ projects tackling the diagnostics, survelliance and prevention of infectious diseases caused by mucosal pathogens in LMICs, including 6 public engagement projects. MPRU members have also been appointed to positions of leadership and won >10 additional grants to facilitate research and to enhance public engagement efforts in improving vaccine coverage. All 4 MPRU-funded PhD students have graduated and are continuing to study aspects of mucosal pathogen epidemiology, immunology and/or pathogenesis as postdoctoral researchers.
