VIRUS experts based in Glasgow are to lead a £2 million research project developing new ways to test for, track and treat monkeypox following this year's unprecedented global outbreak.

Scientists at Glasgow University's Centre for Virus Research will spearhead the new UK research consortium in collaboration with the Surrey-based Pirbright Institute.

In total, the consortium will bring together 25 leading researchers from 12 institutions, including Edinburgh University, to develop better diagnostic tests, identify potential therapies and study vaccine effectiveness and the virus’ spread.

Around 3,500 cases of monkeypox have been identified in the UK this year, including a total of 94 in Scotland since May.

The spread of the disease has been slowing since June, however, amid a push to vaccinate groups at highest risk of exposure.

READ MORE: Scotland aims to vaccinate over 6000 against monkeypox 

Infections were mainly clustered in gay and bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men.

It was the first time that human-to-human transmission of monkeypox had occurred on any significant scale outside of Africa, where it is endemic in at least 10 countries.

Thousands of cases have now been confirmed worldwide, with 25 deaths, but no single explanation for the outbreak has been found.

Scientists expect the smallpox vaccine used to stop the spread of monkeypox to give long-lasting protection against the disease, but investigations are ongoing.

Professor Geoffrey Smith, from the University of Cambridge said: "The variola virus that causes smallpox and the virus that causes monkeypox are closely related, and the same vaccine prevents both diseases.

"Now we know that the use of that vaccine to prevent smallpox was quite long-lasting - by that I mean years - so it's likely that the benefit of using the smallpox vaccine against monkeypox will have similar duration.

"That's a prediction for which we don't yet have firm evidence, and that will have to be acquired over the next few years."

The consortium will study the effectiveness of the smallpox vaccine against monkeypox by tracking the immune responses after primary and secondary vaccination of up to 200 individuals.

READ MORE: Scotland's flu rate more than double the average for time of year 

It will also study the monkeypox virus in more detail using Covid-style surveillance in order to monitoring any changes in its genome, and how these influences the transmission and pathology of the virus.

There is currently no evidence of biological changes in the virus that would explain this year's outbreak.

Like smallpox, the monkeypox virus evolves at a much slower rate compared to influenza and coronaviruses - meaning it has far fewer opportunities to mutate in a way to escape vaccines.

However, the consortium is seeking to "future-proof" the existing vaccine.

They also aim to develop lateral flow and PCR-type tests to speed up diagnosis of monkeypox, and which could be manufactured at scale for clinical use worldwide - including in low and middle-income countries.

Professor Bryan Charleston, co-lead from The Pirbright Institute, said: "These could really aid clinicians in determining whether a lesion is actually caused by monkeypox or potentially caused by other things that cause rashes.

"That process could really speed up diagnosis and controls such as isolation where needed for those patients."

Potential drugs to treat monkeypox will also be screened against human cells in the lab to determine which ones should be fast-tracked for further testing.

Although most monkeypox cases in the UK were mild, in Spain some previously health individuals became severely ill with the infection and researchers want to understand why.

READ MORE: Record A&E waits 'deadly portent for winter' 

Professor Massimo Palmarini, of Glasgow's Centre for Virus Research, said: “Monkeypox is a public health challenge, so taking decisive, collective action to better understand this virus is paramount.

"By bringing together research expertise in different areas, we will harness the UK’s world-leading knowledge to learn more about how the virus works and spreads and provide the foundations for the development of potential new treatments.”

The consortium is funded by the Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), both part of UK Research and Innovation.