PregInPoxVac at the first State-of-the-art Mpox Symposium 2025

December proved to be a key moment of connection for the PregInPoxVac (PIPV) consortium. Many collaborating partners and members of external organisations met in person during the first State-of-the-art Mpox Symposium 2025, held in Kinshasa from 3 to 5 December.

The symposium was primarily organised by members of the PregInPoxVac project, with strong backing from local academic leadership and institutions . This involvement underscored the project’s commitment to local ownership and capacity strengthening. Over the course of the symposium, more than 150 researchers from 40 institutions across 24 countries came together to exchange knowledge and perspectives on mpox research.

The PregInPoxVac project was prominently represented throughout the scientific program, which allowed several researchers from different organisations and countries to contribute in different formats to the 2.5 days of intensive discussions and knowledge exchange on mpox.

For instance, during the session on “Vaccination innovation, impact and access”, Dr. Solange Milolo, PhD student at the University of Antwerp and trial site coordinator from UNIKIN, presented the mpox vaccine trial currently ongoing in Boende, DRC. She introduced the background and scientific rationale of the study, described the research gap it seeks to address, and shared an update on the progress of the trial activities to date.

Additionally, Dr. Gwen Lemey, UAntwerp post-doc, contributed to the session “Community protection and resilience – public health strategy, equity and social science”, where she explored the role of ancillary care (i.e., care given to participants that addresses participants’ non-trial-related health issues) in research conducted in low-resource settings. Her presentation drew on experiences from both the EBOVAC3 project and the PregInPoxVac project, which she used as illustrative case studies.

Amongst more than 25 represented research projects, there was also PREGMPOX, another project linked to the Family Medicine and Population Health (FAMPOP) department at the University of Antwerp. During the session on clinical epidemiology & treatment, prof. dr. Joseph Siewe Fodjo spoke about epidemiological insights and clinical outcomes in the PREGMPOX project in South Kivu.

The PregInPoxVac project was also visible during the poster session (see posters below). Alongside a general overview of the project, a dedicated poster from Freddy Bikioli, UAntwerp PhD student, focused on the social science components of the vaccine trial. This work highlighted the development of infographics aimed at better informing study participants about the trial and addressing vaccine hesitancy.

Overall, participants widely regarded the symposium as a success. It clearly responded to an existing need for a dedicated platform to support exchange, collaboration and alignment within the mpox research community. Further information about the event, including photographs, posters and the full symposium program, can be found at www.mpoxsymposium.com.