Media statement

South African Medical Research Council Annual Report 2006/2007

The employees of the MRC have worked hard throughout the past year to realise the mandate of the MRC, as expressed in its Act of Parliament (Act 58, 1991) :

‘The objects of the MRC are, through research, development and technology transfer, to promote the improvement of the health and quality of life of the population of the Republic, and to perform such functions as may be assigned to the MRC by or under this Act.’

This work is done with the government grant through the Department of Health plus funds generated from competitive contracts and grants. The global MRC budget has grown 30% in the past year to reach R457 023 000.

MRC research targets the health and development priorities of South Africa. The  highlights of this work 2006/2007 are numerous, emanating from  the portfolio of 571 research projects and output of 676 peer-reviewed publications, 38 technical reports, and 5 patents. Just some of these highlights are listed below,  ranked according to the health priorities of South Africa:

Research Highlights

HIV and AIDS
The National Institute of Health (NIH) awarded one of its 72 Clinical Trial Units worldwide to Prof Gita Ramjee’s HIV Prevention Research Unit. Already this has resulted in grants for cutting edge clinical trials in microbicides and HIV vaccines.

The MRC Health Systems Research Unit continues to do groundbreaking research on the role of  lay health workers in providing care and support for patients receiving comprehensive care for HIV and AIDS, for tuberculosis, and for immunisation promotion.

Tuberculosis
The Airborne Infection Research (AIR) Facility of the MRC is the only facility of its kind in the world, aimed at studying transmission dynamics of M(X)DR-TB in biological models by exposing guinea pigs to infectious air from patient wards. In this way interventions (such as ultraviolet light) can be tested to protect both patients and staff from becoming infected whilst in health facilities. 

A large demonstration project was launched with the National Health Laboratory Service of  two novel diagnostics from ‘FIND Diagnostics’. These diagnostics for drug resistant mycobacterium tuberculosis should shorten the time for diagnosis of drug-resistant TB in a patient from the current two months down to two days. 

The MRC Clinical and Biomedical Tuberculosis Research  Unit is the only research facility worldwide to investigate all the available drugs in the current TB clinical pipeline.  The aim of the current 5 clinical trials at this unit is to reduce duration of TB treatment from 6 months down to 4 or 3 months, thereby hopefully improving compliance to therapy.

The  Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology  was instrumental in producing the fourth TB genome sequenced with partners at Harvard. This is the second entire genome to be sequenced out of South Africa.

Influenza and Pneumonia
The Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit conducted studies that demonstrated the long term level of protection afforded by Hib vaccine in HIV- infected children.

The South African Cochrane Centre has begun to establish a registry of randomized trials on HIV and AIDS, TB and Malaria (conducted in Africa), funded by the EDCTP; and the Centre also  serves on the WHO’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform;

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
Work is well underway to establish an MRC National Collaborative Research Programme in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease.

Several MRC Research Units presented data at the 19th World Diabetes Congress in Cape Town highlighting the impact of diabetes on the African continent.

Violence and Injury
The Crime, Violence and Injury Lead Programme successfully hosted the 8th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, held in Durban in 2006.

Cancer
CARISA, the joint collaborative programme between the MRC and CANSA for cancer research in South Africa was established, and has issued its first call for proposals.
                                                
Capacity Development
The number of PhD students enrolled in the MRC’s 45 research units continues to grow numbering 238 in 2006/2007; with 43 PhD graduates in that period.

The MRC Career Awards scheme continues to nurture the research leaders of the future beyond the postdoctoral level – with 6 new awardees in 2006/2007.

Transformation and Development
Transformation at the MRC has continued to progress with 80% of the organisation now comprising of black South Africans (49% African black), and 68% female. Furthermore this demographic change has occurred at every level of the organisation.

Innovation Management and Technology Transfer
Technology and innovation are key activities of the MRC – necessary in order to produce novel products such as drugs, vaccines, biologicals, natural medicines, medical devices and processes. These products can directly improve and preserve the health and quality of life of South Africans. They also engender economic growth and development through keeping the workforce healthy; fostering social development; growing a nascent South African biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry; creating skilled jobs; and bringing in foreign exchange to the country. There has been considerable progress in developing diagnostics and therapeutics for Type II diabetes mellitus from South African plants.

Research Translation
The MRC vision of ‘building a healthy nation through research’ can only be achieved if research results are translated into policy, practice, health promotion and products. The MRC has therefore been developing a Research Translation Office to facilitate this process; and has expanded its research, development and technology transfer activities  in the manner described in this Annual Report.

The MRC’s Health Promotion Research and Development Unit’s data on nicotine  addiction in school learners was influential in the Portfolio Committee on Health deliberations on whether to restrict the use of ‘snus’ in the Tobacco Products Amendment Bill 2007. This chewable tobacco product could well serve as a ‘gateway drug’ to the use by school learners of cigarettes.

At a global level the work of the Malaria Research Lead Programme in contributing to the reduction of malaria prevalence by 88% in the Lubombo Spatial Development corridor contributed to the decision by WHO to recommend the use of residual indoor spraying with DDT in reducing malaria prevalence in regions of the world where the disease is endemic.

Conclusion
The MRC Annual Report 2007 describes therefore, the past year’s work of South Africa’s pre-eminent health research institution. It describes how the MRC has succeeded in managing the hectic trajectory of growth the organisation has experienced over the past few years, with year-on-year increases in the global budget of over 10% and in personnel of over 8%. It outlines how the MRC continues to use the tool of health research to derive solutions – such as high quality validated health information, drugs, vaccines, natural products, medical devices, biologicals and stem cells, health systems processes, health promotion and behavioural interventions – for the formidable health and development challenges South Africa faces in the midst of its health, democratic and socioeconomic transitions. These challenges include the prevention, amelioration and cure of the triple burden of infectious disease, chronic disease, and violence and injury.

This record of the past year’s work of the MRC bears testimony to the continuing success of the research council in using research, development and technology transfer to promote the improvement of the health and quality of life of all South Africans.

Prof A D MBewu
President: MRC