Modeling Multiple Sclerosis in Africa: Leveraging the Coronavirus Spike Gene for Antiviral Discovery
23rd Webinar Series for Strengthening Fundamental Research Capacity with Drosophila in Rwanda
Pioneering sustainable neurovirology research on the African continent
Event Details
About This Webinar
Join us for the 23rd installment of the INSTAL Africa webinar series, where we explore groundbreaking research at the intersection of neurovirology, antiviral drug discovery, and sustainable African research models. This webinar will demonstrate how the coronavirus spike protein can be leveraged to model Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in low-resource African settings — eliminating the need for high-containment infrastructure while advancing global neurological research.
What You'll Learn
- How the coronavirus spike gene can be used to model Multiple Sclerosis in African labs
- Development of mimetic peptides as viral-host membrane fusion inhibitors
- Broad-spectrum antiviral strategies against pan-beta coronaviruses
- Sustainable, low-cost MHV (Mouse Hepatitis Virus) models for neurological research
- Translational applications for African research institutions
Who Should Attend
- Neurovirologists and neuroscience researchers
- Virologists and infectious disease specialists
- Pharmacology and biomedical scientists
- Students and early-career researchers in medical sciences
- Anyone interested in fundamental research and drug discovery
Speaker
Dr. Abass Alao Safiriyu
Medical Physiologist & Coronavirus Neurovirologist
College of Health Sciences, Kampala International University (KIU), Uganda
Dr. Safiriyu is an accomplished medical physiologist and neurovirologist with expertise in coronavirus spike protein pathogenesis. His research focuses on developing mimetic peptides as antiviral fusion inhibitors and establishing sustainable, low-cost MHV models of Multiple Sclerosis for African research settings.
Registration
FREE EVENT — Open to all researchers, students, and professionals
- Register using the "Register Now" button on this page
- Registration deadline: July 14, 2026
- Capacity: Limited to ensure quality interaction
About INSTAL Africa
Innovation Science and Technology for Action and Learning in Africa (INSTAL Africa) is a flagship national initiative led by the Foresight Institute of Research and Translation (FIRAT-Rwanda). It is designed to build a sustainable biomedical research ecosystem in Rwanda and across Africa.
Organizing Partners
- FIRAT Rwanda —
- University of Rwanda (UR)
- DrosAfrica-UK
- Collaborating institutions
Previous Webinars
This is the 23rd webinar in our ongoing series exploring fundamental research using Drosophila as a model organism. Previous topics have covered areas including genetics, immunology, developmental biology, neuroscience, neurotoxicity, and disease modeling.
