Cape Town, South Africa – 3rd to 5th June 2025

A successful and inspiring Annual Meeting of the SimpliciTB and PanACEA II consortium was held in Cape Town earlier this month, bringing together 70 members from across the partnership to review achievements and chart the path forward for PanACEA III.

Originally planned for Uganda, the meeting was relocated to the Protea Hotel, Sea Point, due to unforeseen circumstances. We are deeply grateful to our Ugandan hosts for traveling to Cape Town and for their continued support, and we extend special thanks to our colleagues at TASK for their invaluable assistance in organising the event.

Over the course of the 2.5-day gathering, attendees engaged in a rich programme of presentations and discussions. Dr Michael Makanga, Executive Director of the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking, joined us virtually to deliver an insightful presentation. Highlights included updates on the SimpliciTB trial, OptiRiMox developments, and progress in PanACEA’s drug development pipeline. Contributions from site leads, a Community Advisory Board (CAB) member, and updates on community engagement and the Youth Development Programme further enriched the agenda.

The final day focused on collaborative group discussions that explored priorities and strategic planning for the next phase—PanACEA III.

This meeting reaffirmed the consortium’s dedication to advancing tuberculosis research through global collaboration and shared innovation.