Researcher profile

Daniel R. Mukadi-Bamuleka

|Medical Doctor |Medical Microbiologist/Virologist |PhD in Biomedical Sciences (Virology). |Director of BSL3/BSL2 Rodolphe Mérieux INRB Lab, Goma, DRC |Associate Professor, Hospital Practitioner, Lecturer and Researcher, Department of Medical Biology, Kinshasa Teaching School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UNIKIN,Kinshasa, DRC |Senior Researcher, Department of Virology, INRB Headquarter, Kinshasa, DRC |Former Member of WHO SAGE IVD and of Steering committee for Stronglabs 2, Country Readiness Strengthening, World Health Emergencies programme, Geneva, Switzerland. Fields of interest: - Diagnostic tools for emerging pathogens: implementation, management and performance in the field and laboratory. - Implementation and management of response to outbreaks and other emergencies. I have a great field and laboratory experiences on viral hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola, Marburg, Rift Valley fever…), Mpox virus, and other emerging diseases (Plague, Anthrax, Bacterial meningitis, Covid-19, Polio, Cholera, Measles…). My expertise covers 1) the implementation and management of emergency (during outbreaks) and permanent laboratories; 2) Laboratory techniques: Virology, Molecular Biology, Genomic sequencing, Serology and Immunology, Bacteriology, clinical biology; 3) Research capabilities (clinical trials, epidemiological & cohort studies, surveys, and others), 4) Training competencies for staff from biomedical sectors (Doctors, lab scientists, biologists, etc); 5) Epidemiology, Ecology and Emergence of outbreaks and other infectious diseases; 6) Immunology and Vaccinology. In the last 8 years, I was involved into the last 8 EVD outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, my country. I have also played an advisory role in the preparedness and response to viral hemorrhagic fevers outbreaks and/or alerts in African countries (DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania & Burundi). Since October 2023, I am leading the Mpox laboratory diagnostic and genomic sequencing response for five provinces of the eastern DRC (Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, Ituri, Bas-Uele, and Haut-Uele). I coordinated the post-Ebola eighth DRC outbreak response and ecological research in Likati (2017, Bas-Uele, DRC). During ninth DRC EVD outbreak, I led Itipo field laboratory (2018, Equateur, DRC) and was involved into the ecological research activities. During the biggest DRC’s EVD outbreak (EVD10, 2018-2020), I was the field coordinator of all 13 INRB Ebola field laboratories deployed across 3 affected provinces of the eastern DRC (North-Kivu, South-Kivu and Ituri). During that outbreak, I was also involved into 1) ecological study searching for the Ebola virus reservoir in bats, 2) Ebola therapeutics clinical trial, 3) Ebola survivors program as deputy coordination and Head of the laboratory, 4) evaluation of EVD diagnostic tools including Ebola rapid diagnostic tests. And I have coordinated Ebola field laboratories for the five following outbreaks: EVD11, Equateur (May-September 2020), 5 laboratories deployed; EVD12, Butembo (February-May 2021); EVD13, Beni (October-December 2021); EVD14, Beni (April-July 2022); EVD15, Beni (August 2022 to October 2022). From 2018 to now, I am the Lab Coordinator of NIH/NIAID PALM studies in the DRC. With NIH/NIAID, I was involved in high impact research studies including clinical trials of Ebola (PALM001) and Monkeypox (PALM007) therapeutics. During Covid-19 pandemic, I was appointed as the Coordinator of Covid-19 laboratories in the eastern DRC. Thus, I implemented and supervised Covid-19 response laboratories and other research in the eastern DRC provinces (North-Kivu: Goma, Beni, Butembo; South-Kivu: Bukavu; Ituri: Bunia; and Haut-Uele: Isiro & Watsa. My performance, knowledge of the field (especially in the eastern DRC), managerial capacity, leadership and knowhow strongly influenced my appointment as the Director of the BSL-3/BSL-2 Rodolphe Mérieux INRB-Goma Laboratory, that I am successfully leading since July 2020. In my mandate, I have implemented virology, molecular biology, immunology, bacteriology, clinical biology, genomic sequencing, biobank, administration & finances departments to make INRB-Goma the leading institution for biological surveillance of outbreaks, translational research and laboratory training in eastern DRC as supported by several peer-reviewed papers. From 2015 to 2017, as the Lab Manager of UCLA-DRC Research and Training Program, I was involved into several studies including 1) serosurveys on the assessment of the immunity against Poliomyelitis and other vaccine preventable diseases among children in Haut-Lomami, 2) Ebola antibodies detection among healthcare workers in Haut-Lomami & Mongala (DRC), 3) PBMCs isolation among EVD survivors in Bumba (Mongala Province, DRC), 4) Schistosomiasis and Sexual Transmitted Infections (STIs) survey among pregnant women in Kisantu (Kongo Central Province, DRC). From 2013-2018, I worked with key-populations (MSM and others) on HIV, Hepatitis and STI.