NEWS SPOTLIGHT

KRISP NEWS

Mapping Disease Emergence in Africa

Prof Houriiyah Tegally’s Wellcome-funded research programme brings genomics, data science, and environmental insight together to better understand how infectious diseases emerge and spread across Africa.

Unlocking the Hardest Proteins in Biology

Nanosene, a startup that attended SWEAT Africa 2026, is focused on translating academic research into practical tools for drug discovery and life-science research.

When Access Changes Outcomes

Access is often the difference between potential and progress. For two African STARS fellows, it led directly to employment, independence, and the ability to shape what comes next.

Scaling Epidemic Modelling Across Africa

A €1.36 million Horizon Europe grant is enabling the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA) to expand a long-running initiative that is reshaping how epidemic modelling is taught, applied, and sustained.

From Brazil to Stellenbosch: How One Developer Chose Research and Never Looked Back

There is a particular kind of courage it takes to leave everything familiar and build something new on the other side of the world. On 24 March, at the Stellenbosch University Faculty of Science graduation ceremony, Danilo De Silva walked across the stage to receive his MSc in Computer Science. For Danilo, that journey started not with ambition, but with an invitation.

VEME: A Global Network That Opens Doors Prof Juliana de Araújo’s perspective and advances in wastewater surveillance research.

The 29th International Workshop on Virus Evolution and Molecular Epidemiology (VEME) will take place in Stellenbosch, South Africa, from 6–11 September 2026. Over six intensive days of lectures, practical sessions, and keynote presentations, leading researchers from around the world will provide in-depth training in bioinformatics applied to virus evolution and molecular epidemiology. Participants gain both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to tackle complex genomic questions, contribute to research, and support public health initiatives.

Call for Applications: Metagenomic Virus Discovery Workshop

CERI at Stellenbosch University invite applications for a five-day intensive Training in Metagenomic Virus Discovery. This hands-on workshop will be led by global experts, offering participants practical skills and strategies in virus discovery—from project design to advanced analysis.

PUBLICATIONS SPOTLIGHT

KRISP SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

Tracing the spatial origins and spread of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineages in South Africa.
Dor G, Wilkinson E, Martin DP, Moir M, Tshiabuila D, Kekana D, Ntozini B, Joseph R, Iranzadeh A, Nyaga MM, Goedhals D, Maponga T, Maritz J, Laguda-Akingba O, Ramphal Y, MacIntyre C, Chabuka L, Pillay S, Giandhari J, Baxter C, Hsiao NY, Preiser W, Bhiman JN, Davies MA, Venter M, Treurnicht FK, Wolter N, Williamson C, von Gottberg A, Lessells R, Tegally H, de Oliveira T, Nature Communications (2025), 28;16(1):4937. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60081-0:.

Genomic Surveillance of Climate-Amplified Cholera Outbreak, Malawi, 2022–2023.
Chabuka L, Choga W, Mavian C, Moir M, Morgenstern C, Tegaly H, Sharma A, Wilkinson E, Naidoo Y, Inward R, Bhatt S, WilliamWint G, Khan K, Bogoch I, Kraemer M, Lourenço J, Baxter C, Tagliamonte M, Salemi M, Lessells R, Mitambo C, Chitatanga R, Bitilinyu-Bango J, Chiwaula M, Chavula Y, Bukhu M, Manda H, Chitenje M, Malolo I, Mwanyongo A, Mvula B, Nyenje M, de Oliveira T, Kagoli M, Emerging Infectious Diseases (2025), 31(6):. doi: 10.3201/eid3106.240930.:.

Importance of outbreak response research in bridging knowledge gaps on emerging infectious diseases.
Breiman R, Osoro E, Reithinger R, Wang D, Diamond M, Van Voorhis W, Wasserheit J, Rabinowitz P, Mboup S, Hemingway-Foday J, de Oliveira T, Boon A, Schieffelin J, Sempowski G, Moody M, Vasilakis N, Hanley K, Nasimiyu C, Situma S, Ngere I, Kyobe Bosa H, Nyakarahuka L, Bakamutumaho B, Woodson S, Njenga M, BMJ Global Health (2025), 10(6):e018297. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018297.:.

Artificial intelligence for modelling infectious disease epidemics.
Kraemer M, Tsui J, Chang S, Lytras S, Khurana M, Vanderslott S, Bajaj S, Scheidwasser N, Curran-Sebastian J, Semenova E, Zhang M, Unwin H, Watson O, Mills C, Dasgupta A, Ferretti L, Scarpino S, Koua E, Morgan O, Tegally H, Paquet U, Moutsianas L, Fraser C, Ferguson N, Topol E, Duchêne D, Stadler T, Kingori P, Parker M, Dominici F, Shadbolt N, Suchard M, Ratmann O, Flaxman S, Holmes E, Gomez-Rodriguez M, Schölkopf B, Donnelly C, Pybus O, Cauchemez S, Bhatt S, Nature (2025), :.

Spatiotemporal disease suitability prediction for Oropouche virus and the role of vectors across the Americas.
Poongavanan J, Dunaiski M, D’or G, Kraemer M, Giovanetti M, Lim A, Brady O, Baxter C, Fonseca V, Alcantara L, de Oliveira T, Tegally H, medRxiv (2025), doi: 10.1101/2025.02.28.25323068.:.

Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 intrahost genetic evolution in vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients from the Kenyan population.
Lugano D, Mwangi K, Mware B, Kibet G, Osiany S, Kiritu E, Dobi P, Muli C, Njeru R, de Oliveira T, Njenga M, Routh A, Oyola S, medRxiv (2025), doi: 10.1101/2025.03.03.25323296.:.

Unveiling novel features and phylogenomic assessment of indigenous Priestia megaterium AB-S79 using comparative genomics.
Adeniji A, Chukwuneme C, Conceição E, Ayangbenro A, Wilkinson E, Maasdorp E, de Oliveira T, Babalola O, Microbiology Spectrum (2025), doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01466-24.:.

KRISP VIDEOS

COVID-19 | News sub-variant being monitored closely
By: Tulio De Oliveira and CERI and KRISP teams

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