A multi-million-pound emergency funding package for research that could help to contain the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and future outbreaks of infectious disease has been announced by the Wellcome Trust.

Wellcome Trust also announced the establishment of a strategic partnership with the Dangote Foundation, an African-based international philanthropic organisation, to support further Ebola research. The emergency Ebola initiative, which includes contributions from partner funders, will support research that can swiftly begin to investigate new approaches to treating, preventing and containing the disease, during the current epidemic in West Africa. It will also support research into the ethical challenges of testing experimental medicines during epidemics

Its goals are to identify clinical and public health interventions, including drugs and vaccines, with the potential to contribute to tackling the present crisis in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria, and to inform the way in which future epidemics of Ebola and other infectious diseases are handled.

As well as funding emergency Ebola research, the Wellcome Trust, the world’s second-highest-spending charitable foundation, is making a further long-term commitment to African health through a £40million programme of support for excellence in African research. The investment, which marks a step change in the Trust’s activity in Africa, will support the continent to develop a world-class medical research base so it is better equipped to investigate and tackle its greatest health challenges

Dr. Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust, said whileannouncing the new initiative on Wednesday: “The Wellcome Trust is investing today in a package of research that can make a difference to Africa in the short, the medium and the long term. Measures to contain, treat and prevent diseases such as Ebola can be evaluated only in the context of epidemics like this one, which is why support for research is needed immediately. We are grateful to the partners who have helped us to launch these initiatives so quickly

“The gravity of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa demands an urgent response, and we believe rapid research into humanitarian interventions and therapeutics can have an impact on treatment and containment during the present outbreak. What we learn could also change the way we approach future outbreaks, providing us with tested tools and techniques that were not available to public health authorities this time

“In the long run, African countries will be best placed to address emerging and endemic infections, established threats such as HIV, TB and malaria, and the growing problem of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, stroke and mental health, if the continent has an outstanding research base able to respond to Africa’s needs.”

Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Foundation, said: “We are pleased to partner with a leading research organisation like the Wellcome Trust in tackling the deadly Ebola virus. The current Ebola crisis underlines the importance for institutions like ours to get involved in supporting medical research.”

The support include rapid-response funding for humanitarian research into combating the Ebola outbreak in West Africa; a call for research proposals that would evaluate experimental therapies and vaccines for Ebola, focusing on clinical studies that could begin during the current epidemic; and an initial £40m over five years to launch Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science Africa (DELTAS Africa), which has a long-term vision of developing a new generation of outstanding African health researchers.

•Photo shows Dangote Foundation Chairman, Aliko Dangote.

Update news