Training and Research on Arboviruses and Zoonoses In Nigeria and Sierra Leone (TRAIN)

Emerging viral diseases comprise several of the greatest global risks to human health, and West Africa is a source and epicenter for several. These include arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), such as chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever with African origin and both ancient and recent histories of spread to Asia and the Americas to initiate massive epidemics. Dengue is also increasingly recognized in Africa as a major public health problem. Zoonotic African hemorrhagic viruses also caused unprecedented outbreaks during the past decade. In 2014, the first West African epidemic of hemorrhagic fever attributed to Ebola virus spread to several countries including Sierra Leone, representing by far the most devastating filoviral outbreak on record with over 11,000 fatalities. Lassa virus, causing an estimated 100,000-300,000 hemorrhagic fever cases in Africa annually, produced an unprecedented 2018-2019 epidemic in Nigeria. Conducting research training in Sierra Leone and Nigeria provides a unique scientific opportunity to include unusual talent and environmental conditions-such as specific endemic viral populations and host-pathogen interactions-that are not readily available in the United States. Critical knowledge gaps persist regarding fundamental disease mechanisms, viral immunopathology, and host-viral factors determining clinical outcomes. Understanding this shared disease biology is essential for translating basic immunologic discoveries into clinical insight that directly protects the health of Americans by mitigating the risk of viral emergence and informing the development of domestic diagnostics and countermeasures. To address these challenges, we will develop a new generation of West African scientists with deep expertise in the molecular mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and ecology, enabling them to devise novel strategies for mitigating health burdens and spread. The Training and Research on Arboviruses and Zoonoses (TRAIN) program was established through a collaborative partnership between the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Njala University in Sierra Leone, and Jos University in Nigeria, building upon the infrastructure of the former West African Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases. The aims of the program include: 1) Provide training at Njala and Jos Universities to Master's/PhD students enrolled in the local graduate programs; 2) Provide specialized training at UTMB on the most advanced methods and techniques for expertise transfer to Sierra Leone and Nigeria; 3) Provide on-site research training in Sierra Leone and Nigeria to ensure successful local implementation of the program. This comprehensive curriculum - covering didactic coursework, field training, molecular virological techniques, and biosafety - will foster local expertise in the molecular mechanisms of viral pathogenesis. Ultimately, the TRAIN Program will serve as a sustainable model for translational science, creating lasting capacity for critical surveillance and enhancing the understanding of the regional disease burden to direct benefit of American science and public health.