Note from the Africa Office

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Oliver Wendell Holmes

I am happy to introduce the October issue of the EDCTP newsletter covering an extremely busy quarter of 2009. This issue delivers updates on the fifth EDCTP Forum, the reinforcement of the EDCTP Africa Office, adverts for renewed memberships for the Developing Countries Coordinating Committee (DCCC) and the Partnership Board (PB). It also informs of the end-of-term review and impact assessment of EDCTP that are in progress.

During this quarter of 2009 a number of calls on thematic topics have been launched on TB vaccines, HIV treatment and Member States initiated calls. Moreover, a number of projects have been supported including capacity strengthening activities offering training opportunities. Also highlighted in this issue is the EDCTP funded Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR) that was recently granted WHO primary registry status.

EDCTP has continued its site visit activities to EDCTP-funded projects and active engagement with African governments. During September, EDCTP representatives visited Congo, Brazzaville. With the ongoing evaluated experience and the great commitment of EDCTP Secretariat staff and constituency members, EDCTP is set to deliver more and faster.

Michael Makanga
Director of South-South Cooperation and Head of Africa Office

Events

Fifth EDCTP Forum

When you read this, the Fifth EDCTP Forum will be around the corner or maybe already in full swing. Full programme details are available on the Forum website (www.edctpforum2009.org). The fi rst offi cial Forum day starts on Monday 12 October and we are grateful that political speakers from both Europe and Africa are actively involved in the Forum agenda and will be expressing their political commitment towards the Partnership. We are honoured and extend a warm welcome to speakers from the Tanzanian government, WHO-AFRO, the Africa Regional Economic Communities and their health arms as well as our European Member States and the European Commission. Read more >>

News about EDCTP governance

Dr Michael Makanga appointed as Head of Africa Office

Dr Michael Makanga was appointed as EDCTP Director of South-South Cooperation and Head of Africa Office. He is a medical and research doctor who trained from Makerere University, Uganda; Liverpool University and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in the United Kingdom. Read more >>

End-of-term review and impact assessment of EDCTP

As the EDCTP programme in its current constitution officially ends on 1 September 2010, the programme is currently under review. This review aims to deliver recommendations on the continuation of the programme after September 2010. An Independent External Evaluation Committee commissioned by the European Commission started a programme of evaluation activities in July 2009. Read more>>

Vacancy: Partnership Board (PB) members

EDCTP is inviting applications for two members of the Partnership Board (PB). The PB is an independent scientific expert panel comprising of members from both north and south. This advisory board is responsible for developing research strategy and overseeing scientific integrity of the EDCTP programme. It is also responsible for advising the General Assembly on all technical and scientific matters relating to the programme. Read more>>

News about calls and grants

Calls open for applications

Funded projects

EDCTP is pleased to announce funding of the following projects:

Call: HIV/AIDS treatment (clinical trials, capacity building and networking)

A multicentre Phase III trial of secondline antiretroviral treatment in African adults
Project Coordinator: Eric Delaporte
Budget: €4,040,245 (€1,970,367 EDCTP)
Duration of project: July 2009 – July 2013
African countries involved: Tanzania, Senegal, South Africa
Cofunding partners: Swiss National Science Foundation (Switzerland), IRD (France), ANRS
(France), BMBF (Germany), ITM (Belgium), University of Antwerp (Belgium), University of Geneva (Switzerland)

The Eastern and Southern Africa research network for evaluation of second-line therapy in HIV
Project Coordinator: Peter Mugyenyi
Budget: €4,872,368 (€1,858,914 EDCTP)
Duration of project: September 2009 – June 2014
African countries involved: Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Cofunding partners: MRC Laboratories (United Kingdom), DFID (United Kingdom), ISC III (Spain), ISS (Italy), ITM (Belgium), Irish Aid (Ireland), SIDA (Sweden)

Call: Tuberculosis vaccines (clinical trials, capacity building and networking)

A proof-of-concept Phase IIb clinical trial to evaluate the protective efficacy of a booster MVA85A vaccination administered
Project Coordinator: Martin Ota
Budget: €13,177,720 (€4,974,200 EDCTP)
Duration of project: August 2009 – April 2012
African countries involved: Belarus, South Africa, The Gambia
Cofunding partners: Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation (USA), ITM (Belgium), DFID (United Kingdom)

Call: Malaria treatment (clinical trials, capacity building and networking)

Special populations and label expansion studies with the fi xed dose combinations artemether-lumefantrine, amodiaquineartesunate, and dihydroartemisininpiperaquine in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique
Project Coordinator: Victor Mwapasa
Budget: €5,082,544 (€2,826,808 EDCTP)
Duration of project: July 2009 – July 2014
African countries involved: Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia
Cofunding partners: MRC (United Kingdom), ISCIII (Spain), ITM (Belgium), AMC (Netherlands), BMWF (Austria), ACT consortium & DNDi (United Kingdom)

An integrated approach to clinical trials, capacity building and networking in West Africa: Treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) in the context of insecticide treated nets
Project Coordinator: Abdoulaye Djimde
Budget: €5,359,268 (€2,824,118 EDCTP)
African countries involved: Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali
Cofunding partners: MRTC (Mali), CNRFP and IRSS (Burkina Faso), CNFRSR (Guinea), MRC (United Kingdom) SIDA (Sweden), University Claude Bernard Lyon (France), BMBF Germany
Duration of project: September 2009 – March 2013

Call: Regional Networks of Excellence for conducting clinical trials and provide mentorship programmes in sub-Saharan Africa

Capacity building to prepare West African sites for clinical trials on HIV, TB and malaria
Project Coordinator: Soleymane Mboup
Budget: €5,155,921 (€3,499,921 EDCTP)
African countries involved: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, The Gambia
Cofunding partners: NACCAP (Netherlands), MRC Laboratories (The Gambia), MRC Laboratories (United Kingdom)

Focus on EDCTP grantees

WHO provides primary status to the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry

The Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR) has been accepted as a primary clinical trials registry – the first World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed trials registry in Africa. This registry will feed data into the global WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) search portal facilitating African representation in the global picture of planned, ongoing and completed clinical trials. The Registry is currently funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and coordinated by the South African Cochrane Centre (SACC) at the Medical Research Council (MRC). Read more>>

New online training programme on research ethics: TRREE

TRREE-for Africa is a web-based training and capacity building initiative on the ethics of research involving humans conducted in African countries. It is very comprehensive, free, and easy to use for all those involved in clinical trials in Africa at all levels (researchers, ethics committees, institutions, research participants, regulators). Since its launch in June 2009, 390 persons from more than 36 countries have registered and the number is growing. Read more>>

Training workshop on “Molecular Diagnosis of Malaria”

: Workshop participants at Seminar session

A training workshop entitled “Application of Quantitative Real-time PCR method to Malaria Diagnosis and Parasite Density Estimation” was held at the Fajara Campus of the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) from 4-8 May 2009. This workshop, jointly sponsored by EDCTP and the UK MRC Laboratories (The Gambia), was organised for young Postdoctoral researchers and PhD candidates in the fi eld of malaria research by Dr Davis Nwakanma, EDCTP Senior Fellow. Eleven participants from Nigeria, Senegal and Cameroon, drawn from research institutions and universities in the West African sub-region attended the workshop. Read more>>

Meetings and visits

EDCTP site visit to CANTAM sites in Republic of Congo

EDCTP conducted a site visit to the Central African Network for TB, AIDS and Malaria (CANTAM) sites in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo from 17 to 21 August 2009. Four institutions that are now part of the network namely: Centre for Studies on Natural Plants or Centre d’Etudes sur les Ressources
Végétales (CERVE), Marien Ngouabi University Teaching Hospital of Brazzaville, Makelekele Hospital and the Public Health Laboratory were visited. In addition the team met with the local Ethics Committee at the University Teaching Hospital, the European Union (EU) Delegation to Congo, the World Health Organisation Representative to Congo, the Minister for Scientific Research and Innovative Technology, the Minister for Health, Family and Social Affairs and the Prime Minister. Read more>>