Computational and Molecular Epidemiology Training in TB and HIV in Uganda

 描述(申请人提供)：结核病(TB)和人类免疫缺陷病毒1型(HIV)感染的流行在撒哈拉以南非洲集中在一起，随着艾滋病毒流行席卷非洲大陆，结核病的发病率和流行率都有所增加。在今天的非洲，结核病可能影响高达30%的混合感染者，是艾滋病毒血清阳性者死亡的主要原因。尽管对这两种感染的适当治疗可能会限制混合感染的发病率和死亡率，但治疗可能不会改变艾滋病毒和结核病流行的根本动态，因此需要采取新的方法，首先针对传播和预防感染。建议的总体目标是 培训计划旨在通过培训乌干达科学家使用这些新的和新兴的方法，在Makerere大学建立分子和计算流行病学方面的可持续能力，以便这些方法可以应用于研究坎帕拉复杂和相互作用的艾滋病毒和结核分枝杆菌传播动力学。该计划将通过培训2名分子或计算流行病学博士后学生、2名博士后实习生和5名与计算流行病学和生物信息学相关的非学位实习生来实现其目标。为了补充UGA的这一培训，该计划将在乌干达开设一系列与网络科学及其在流行病学、分子生物学和生物信息学中的应用有关的短期课程。拟议的培训计划建立在乌干达和PD之间长达25年的合作基础上，并延长了Makerere大学和格鲁吉亚大学在艾滋病毒和结核病方面长达5年的合作。培训将被纳入正在进行的研究项目中，这些项目旨在研究成熟艾滋病毒流行背景下社会网络中结核分枝杆菌的传播模式。该项目将由UGA的Christopher Whalen博士和Makerere大学的联席主任摩西·乔洛巴博士共同指导。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The epidemics of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV) infection converge with the greatest intensity in Sub-Saharan Africa where both the incidence and the prevalence of TB increased as the HIV epidemic swept through the continent. In Africa today, TB may affect up to 30% of co-infected persons and is the leading cause of death among HIV seropositive persons. Although proper treatment of both infections may limit morbidity and mortality of the co-infection, treatment may not alter the underlying dynamics of the HIV and TB epidemics, so new approaches are needed that target transmission and prevent infection in the first place. The overall goal of the proposed training program is to build sustainable capacity at Makerere University in molecular and computational epidemiology by training Ugandan scientists in these new and emerging methods so that they may be applied to study the complex and interacting transmission dynamics of HIV and M. tuberculosis in Kampala. The program will achieve its goal by training 2 pre-doctoral students in molecular or computational epidemiology, 2 post-doctoral trainees, and 5 non-degree trainees in technical skills relating to computational epidemiology and bioinformatics. To supplement this training based at UGA, the program will put on a series of short courses in Uganda relating to network sciences and their application in Epidemiology, molecular biology and bioinformatics. The proposed training program builds on the 25 year collaboration between the Ugandans and the PD and extends the five-year collaboration between Makerere University and the University of Georgia on HIV and TB. The training will be embedded and integrated into ongoing, research projects designed to examine transmission patterns of M. tuberculosis within social networks in the context of a mature HIV epidemic. The program will be directed by Dr. Christopher Whalen, at UGA, with a co-director Dr. Moses Joloba at Makerere University.