Left to Right: Malegapuru William Makgoba; Welile Nhalapo, South African Ambassador to the United States; Thomas R. Cech

“We are embarking on a scientific journey together,” said Professor Malegapuru William Makgoba, UKZN's vice chancellor. “There is no better place on the planet to undertake TB and HIV research, in part because there are more people in South Africa with HIV than any other country in the world. By focusing on the twin epidemics of HIV and TB, we are taking on the most challenging global health challenge.”

The scientific journey is already under way. HHMI awarded seed grants totaling more than $1.1 million in 2008 to scientists in the United States and South Africa. This year, the Institute will provide an estimated $3 million in grant funding and support for construction of temporary laboratory facilities for the TB research program. The initial effort will focus on the diagnosis, pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of TB in the context of HIV.

The commitments by HHMI and UKZN go beyond the financial. Two leading HHMI investigators with long-standing expertise in TB and HIV research will participate actively in the program: William R. Jacobs, Jr., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Bruce D. Walker, of the Massachusetts General Hospital, who directs the HIV Pathogenesis Program in Durban, a joint initiative of Harvard University and UKZN. Walker also directs the newly formed Ragon Institute, which will focus on developing a vaccine against HIV. UKZN scientists helping to direct and plan K-RITH are A. Willem Sturm, a noted TB researcher and dean of the Mandela School of Medicine, who serves as K-RITH's interim director, and Salim S. Abdool Karim, UKZN Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) and director of the Center for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa.

“K-RITH will leverage HHMI's deep experience in fundamental research and its financial resources with UKZN's own programs in HIV and TB research in the context of ongoing efforts to manage HIV and TB in KwaZulu-Natal,” said Cech. “K-RITH scientists will have an unparalleled opportunity to collaborate with their colleagues at clinical sites in and around Durban in research efforts that focus on the diagnosis, pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of TB and HIV. ” 

Photo: Paul Fetters

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