Executive Director’s Note

It gives me great pleasure to unveil the current issue of EDCTP Newsletter. Like all previous newsletters it is packed with news and information of all kind to all our stakeholders. As usual there is a summary of current calls and the recently awarded projects. There is also information on the EDCTP site visit to Benin and various meetings attended by EDCTP personnel, particularly in Africa. These include participation at the Forty-eighth ECSA Health Conference and a visit to WHO/AFRO Regional Headquarters where EDCTP explored how its Network of Excellence funded projects could interact and add synergy to the WHO/AFRO proposed Centres of Excellence.

There is an update on the coming EDCTP Fifth Forum that will be held in October in Arusha, Tanzania. Together with the forum is the announcement of EDCTP Awards that will be given to honour achievements of individuals working on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. I strongly encourage each and everyone to send names of the possible candidates for selection to receive these prestigious awards. There is also information on the EDCTP 2008 annual report that is now available. Electronic copies can be downloaded from our website and if preferred hard copies may be posted on request.

I wish all stakeholders enjoyable reading.

Events

Fifth EDCTP Forum: programme additions and sponsorships

The Fifth EDCTP Forum (12 to 14 October in Arusha, Tanzania) will take place in just over 3 months. The Forum is the only major conference in Africa on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It presents a unique opportunity to share reports on ongoing clinical trials, exchange ideas, and establish or reinforce collaborations.

Satellite meetings
In addition to the main programme there will be two satellite meetings:

On Tuesday 13 October, a workshop on Ownership of research outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa will take place.
On Wednesday 14 October there will be a workshop on Universal Standards for Clinical Trials in Practice organised by the "Switching the Poles" Clinical Research Network.

More information on the satellite meetings

Sponsorships
EDCTP encourages its partners to get involved in the Forum and many have already confirmed their participation. For those not yet involved, there are many ways to join. One of the ways to support the Forum and to raise the corporate profile during the Forum is to sponsor the event. Sponsorships that have been confirmed by EDCTP Member States are from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Other sponsors to date include AERAS Global TB Vaccine Foundation, CONRAD, International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) and Novartis Pharma AG.

If you wish to the forum newsletter, please subscribe through forum[at]edctp.org.

EDCTP Awards for Outstanding African Scientists open for nomination

EDCTP is inviting nominations for the 2009 EDCTP Awards for outstanding African scientists. The awards are open to anyone working in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria within the scope of the EDCTP programme of clinical trials, capacity development, and networking. The awards will be presented at the Fifth EDCTP Forum in Arusha, Tanzania on 12 to 14 October 2009. Read more >>

News about EDCTP Governance

ENNP elect new chair and vice-chairs

At the ENNP meeting of 11 June Dirk van der Roost (Belgium), former ENNP Vice- Chairperson, was elected as the new Chairperson to succeed Laura Brum. Rafael de Andrés Medina (Spain) and Isabella Beretta (Switzerland) were elected Vice-Chairpersons. We extend our thanks and appreciation to Laura Brum (former Chairperson) and Claudia Herok (former Vice-Chairperson, who will stay on as a member of the ENNP) for their commitment to integration of European research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Annual report 2008

EDCTP is pleased to present its annual report for 2008. The past year was a remarkable year as the results of our strategy for integrated projects became very much visible. Eight large integrated projects were signed in the areas of HIV vaccines, mother-to-child transmission of HIV and malaria in pregnancy. The Partnership grew as there was again a significant increase of both EDCTP Member State funding and contributions from third parties. In addition, the average number of Member States collaborating in EDCTP-funded clinical trials grew, while 71% of EDCTP-funded projects were led by African project coordinators based in sub-Saharan Africa. These are encouraging trends which underline the integration of EU research on PRDs, while encouraging African leadership in the fight against these diseases in the region. Read more >>

News about calls and grants

Calls open for application

Funded projects

EDCTP is pleased to announce funding of the following projects:

Support of clinical studies, capacity building and networking for HIV/AIDS Microbicides
Characterisation of novel microbicide safety biomarkers in East and South Africa
Project Coordinator: Dr Kishor Mandaliya
Theme: HIV microbicides
Partners: Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom
Budget: €3,994,112 (€2,688,595 EDCTP)
Duration of project: April 2009 – April 2012

Support of clinical trials, capacity building and networking in tuberculosis vaccines Development
A Multicentre Phase II Trial of a New TB Vaccine in African Infants
Project Coordinator: Prof. Gregory Hussey
Theme: Tuberculosis (vaccines)
Partners: South Africa, Kenya,
Mozambique, Uganda, United States, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium
Budget: €7,654,869 (€3,367,254 EDCTP)
Duration of project: May 2009 – April 2014

Support of phase I, II and III clinical trials on new drugs and improved drug combinations for the treatment of tuberculosis
Rapid evaluation of high-dose rifamipicin and other rifamycins in tuberculosis
Project Coordinator: Dr Martin Boeree
Theme: Tuberculosis
Partners: Netherlands, United
Kingdom, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Switzerland
Budget: €9,247,087 (€4,991,080)
Duration of project: June 2009 – June 2014

Evaluation of a novel TB drug to shorten and simplify TB treatment
Project Coordinator: Prof. Michael Hoelscher
Target disease: Tuberculosis
Partners: Germany, United Kingdom, South Africa, Tanzania, Gabon, Zambia, United States
Budget: €10,746,074 (€4,846,309 EDCTP)
Duration of project: June 2009 – June 2014

Identification and Strengthening of Joint Programme Activities
To develop a clinical trial management and support infrastructure at the College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
Project Coordinator: Prof. Exnevia Gomo
Theme: HIV/AIDS
Partners: Malawi, Austria, United Kingdom, Netherlands
Budget: €299,241
Duration of project: April 2009 – April 2012

Implementation and standardization of in vitro Plasmodium falciparum culture for resistance phenotyping and immunemediated growth inhibition testing
Project Coordinator: Dr Benjamin Mordmüller
Theme: Malaria
Partners: Germany, Gabon, Netherlands
Budget: €299,918
Duration of project: March 2009 – March 2012

Final round Joint Programme Activities ended 5 June 2009

On 5 June 2009, the third and final round of the Joint Programme Activities (JPA) call ended. The JPA call has been an open-ended call with 6-monthly deadlines, which would be open until either December 2009 or until the available funding is allocated. As there will be insufficient funds for any further applications after the upcoming June deadline, this call will be closed.

TB-HIV stakeholder meeting

On 19 May 2009 EDCTP held a stakeholder meeting on optimisation of HIV treatment and HIV-TB co-infection which was hosted by Portugal at the Centro Cientifico e Cultural de Macau in Lisbon. The aim of the meeting was for stakeholders to guide EDCTP on a strategy for funding new integrated projects in HIV treatment and its related major infections with an emphasis on HIV-TB co-infections. Among those who spoke at the meeting was the former President of Portugal, Dr Jorge Sampiao, who is also United Nations Special Envoy to Stop TB, and Dr Ligia Amancio, the Vice President of Portugal’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia or FCT), opened the one-day meeting. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Emilia Valadas of University of Portugal. Read more >>

Focus on EDCTP grantees

Abdoulaye Djimdé receives Award of best Pharmacist of the Francophone world

: Dr Jean Paul Chiron, Secretary General of the National Academy of Pharmacy of France (left) extends award to Dr Abdoulaye Djimdé (right). In the middle: Dr Djimdé’s wife Mama Assa

The National Academy of Pharmacy of France has awarded Dr Abdoulaye Djimdé its “Prix de la Pharmacie Francophone”. Dr Djimdé is a research scientist from the Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), University of Bamako, and Malian EDCTP Senior Fellow. The prize is in recognition of his outstanding contribution within the Francophone community. The Award was presented to Dr Djimdé in the context of the World Health Assembly on 17 May 2009 in Geneva.
Read more >>

Fisher folk study involves those that are most affected by HIV/AIDS

: 'Talking Boat'- HIV prevention message targeting fisherman (IAVI/Vanessa Vick)

The challenges to HIV/AIDS research are great, and potentially even more so when the research is conducted in developing countries where more than 95% of the 7,500 daily new infections occur. Reaching and involving those that are most affected is one major challenge. Currently, about 2000 fishermen in Uganda and Malawi, until now considered a ‘hard to reach’ research population, are being enrolled in a Fisher folk study; a joint collaboration led and managed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) and supported by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). Read more >>

Meetings and visits

EDCTP at the 48th ECSA-HC Conference

From 16 to 20 March the East, Central and Southern African Health Community (ECSA-HC) held its 48th Conference of Health Ministers in Swaziland. The theme of the conference was “Strengthening Health Systems to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals”. The Conference was attended by Ministers of Health, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of Health, Programme Managers and bilateral partners to review regional health priorities and identify areas of collaboration. EDCTP’s High Representative Dr Pascoal Mocumbi presented the experiences and expectations from the EDCTP programme under the conference sub-theme “Action-Oriented Research for Health Planning and Decision-making”. Read more >>

EDCTP strengthens collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO)

: Left to right: Prof. Bartholomew Akanmori (Medical Officer WHO AFRO), Dr Lusamba-Dikassa (Director of Programmes, WHO AFRO), Prof. Charles Mgone (Executive Director, EDCTP) and Dr Andrew Kitua (Chairperson, DCCC)

From 12 to 13 May 2009 a team from EDCTP comprising two secretariat staff and the Chairperson of the Developing Countries Coordinating Committee (DCCC) met with officials at the Regional Office of WHO in Africa based in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. During this meeting participants from EDCTP and WHO explored ways of strengthening their collaboration in sub-Saharan Africa. Read more >>

Site visit Benin

On 25 to 29 May 2009, EDCTP conducted a site visit in Benin. Site visits are an important means for advocacy, data collection, and technical assessment of sites that are involved in EDCTP funded projects. EDCTP had meetings with the scientists and management of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Abomey Calavi in Cotonou, project coordinators and their teams, as well as Beninese Government Ministers and other senior officials. Read more >>

: EDCTP Delegation meets with members of the Benin National Ethics Committee

EDCTP news alerts and RSS

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