{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T15:05:46Z","timestamp":1790867146881,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,11]],"date-time":"2025-08-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754870400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Leprosy remains a significant public health burden in many low- and middle-income countries, with the transmission pathways of <jats:italic><jats:italic>Mycobacterium leprae<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic> remaining incompletely understood. The Research to Stop Transmission of Neglected Tropical Diseases (R2STOP) fund was established by two NGOs to address this gap by supporting research projects focused on <jats:italic><jats:italic>M. leprae<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic> transmission. This article outlines R2STOP\u2019s selection process for funding projects and summarizes the impact and findings of the resulting research, illustrating the collective progress in understanding <jats:italic><jats:italic>M. leprae<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic> transmission.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methodology\/Principal findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The funding priorities established by R2STOP in the call were: (i) human-to-human transmission, (ii) non-human reservoirs, (iii) host-pathogen interactions and (iv) transmission networks. R2STOP allocated a total budget of CAD one million to support research projects focused on <jats:italic><jats:italic>M. leprae<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic> transmission. The selection process involved remote reviews of letters of intent and full proposals, followed by an in-person proposal review meeting where projects were evaluated based on criteria such as significance, innovation, approach, and environmental impact. Final selections were made by a Scientific Review Committee, resulting in the funding of six projects. The funded projects all yielded significant findings from exploring a variety of topics such as persistent transmission in the Comoros islands; the potential role of patients and soil in transmission; ticks\u2019 role in transmission to hosts; biomarkers for leprosy progression; ofloxacin resistance in India; and methods to grow <jats:italic><jats:italic>M. leprae<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic> on axenic media. Twenty-four MSc and PhD students were involved in the six funded research projects, and 29 scientific articles were published.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions\/Significance<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The R2STOP funding scheme played an important role in advancing our understanding of <jats:italic><jats:italic>M. leprae<\/jats:italic><\/jats:italic> transmission pathways and showcased the relevance of having funds allocated to this neglected aspect of leprosy control. Relevant research continues to be supported through the Leprosy Research Initiative.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0013370","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,11]],"date-time":"2025-08-11T17:33:21Z","timestamp":1754933601000},"page":"e0013370","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Advancing Mycobacterium leprae transmission research: Insights from the R2STOP fund"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4709-2489","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Marta S\u00f3lveig","family":"Palmeirim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Annemieke","family":"Geluk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bouke","family":"C. de Jong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sofie","family":"M. 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