Fifth EDCTP Forum: recommendations available online

The Fifth EDCTP Forum in October 2009 in Arusha, Tanzania brought together 450 scientific experts, policy makers, research funders and many other partners to network and plan for the continued fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. EDCTP wishes to thank all who attended and contributed to the success of this Forum. A broad range of research findings were shared through both oral and poster presentations, and valuable recommendations on the way forward were received.

The recommendations are available on the Fifth EDCTP Forum blog. EDCTP wishes to thank everyone that contributed to these as they help guide EDCTP’s activities in the coming years.

Forum recommendations available on: www.edctp.org/forumblog

Reports of scientific sessions and satellite meetings

Report summaries of the scientific parallel and electronic sessions are now available online as well as majority of the presentations on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria clinical trials and cross-cutting topics such as ethics and regulatory issues. In addition, reports were drafted for the satellite meetings Universal standards for clinical trials in practice organised by the “Switching the Poles” Clinical Research Network, and of Ownership of research outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa jointly organised by NACCAP and EDCTP.

Reports and presentations available on www.edctp.org/forumblog

Partnership presentations
Various EDCTP partners participated in the Global Partnerships-session during the Forum. On the blog, you can now read about the work of Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Enhancing Support for Strengthening the Effectiveness of National Capacity Efforts (ESSENCE), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Wellcome Trust, European Vaccine Initiative (EVI), Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), African Malaria Network Trust (AMANET), Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation and the African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP). These and other partners provide invaluable synergy and complementarities to EDCTP’s work in fighting the three diseases on the African continent.

Read more about partnerships on www.edctp.org/forumblog

Video message EU Commissioner for Science and Research

European Union Commissioner for Science and Research Dr Janez Potočnik addressed the audience at the opening ceremony through a video message. The EU Commissioner commented on the progress of research coordination through EDCTP over the years, and referring to the independent evaluation of the EDCTP programme conducted in 2006, he remarks: “Because I have always believed in the noble purpose of this initiative, I decided to continue … Now, almost three years later, it is paying off.”

Watch the video message on www.edctp.org/forumblog

Dr Alexis Nzila and Dr Dominique Pepper receive EDCTP awards for outstanding African scientist

The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) has given its Awards for Outstanding African Scientist to Dr Alexis Nzila and Dr Dominique Pepper.

Dr Alexis Nzila, Head of the Molecular Parasitology Group at the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, received the Award for Outstanding Senior African Scientist. The award consists of a certificate of recognition together with a cash prize of EUR 20,000.

Dr Dominique Pepper of the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine in Cape Town, South Africa, received the Award for Outstanding Junior African Scientist. This award consists of a certificate of recognition and a cash prize of EUR 10,000. Read more >>

The members of the General Assembly of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) have elected Professor Hannah Akuffo as its Chair as of 1 January 2010. Prof. Akuffo succeeds Dr Diana Dunstan, who has chaired the Assembly between 2006 and 2009. Dr Gabriele Hausdorf was appointed and Professor Patrice Debré re-appointed as vice-Chair. Read more >>

From 1 January 2010, EDCTP governance of North-North networking will change. Until 31 December 2010, European Networking Officers (ENOs) were in charge of these activities, and they were united in the European Network of National Programmes (ENNP). This Network of representatives of the European national programmes developed proposals to coordinate and join national research activities and funding. Read more >>

The members of the EDCTP Developing Countries Coordinating Committee (DCCC) have elected Professor Alioune Dieye as their new Chair, and Professor Nkandu Luo and Dr Veronique Penlap as vice-Chairs. In addition, four new members have joined the DCCC. Below, the new DCCC Chair and the new members are introduced. Read more >>

In February 2010, three calls for proposals will be launched:

• Senior Fellowships
• Senior Fellowships NoEs

Senior Fellowship calls are intended to identify and support senior researchers capable of building and leading research groups at sub-Saharan African institutions that will be internationally competitive and capable of winning grants from international funding bodies. Two calls will be launched: one stand-alone Senior Fellowship call, and one call for Senior Fellows within the context of EDCTP-funded Networks of Excellence for clinical trials.

• Ethics

Ethics calls are intended to strengthen local capacity in both Ethical Review and the National Regulatory framework in Africa.

These calls will be published in February on www.edctp.org

EDCTP is pleased to announce funding of the following projects:

Call: Establishment and the strengthening of African National Ethics Committees (NECs) or Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

Strengthening African Research Ethics Committees’ capacity for ethical review of HIV prevention research
Project Coordinator: Douglas Wassenaar
Budget: € 49,500
Duration of project: November 2009 – November 2012
African countries involved: South Africa

Establishment of National Research Ethics Committee and strengthening of newly established IRBs/RECs in Ghana
Project Coordinator: Okyere Boateng
Budget: € 49,808
Duration of project: December 2009 - December 2010
African countries involved: Ghana

Programme for strengthening National Research Ethic Committee of Senegal (CNRS)
Project Coordinator: Samba Cor Sarr
Budget: € 50,000
Duration of project: December 2009 - December 2011
African countries involved: Senegal

Call: Senior Fellowships

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) in Schistosomiasis patients undergoing HAART
Project Coordinator: Pauline Mwinzi
Budget: € 185,668.64
Duration of project: November 2009 – November 2011
African countries involved: Kenya

A randomised controlled trial of oral iron therapy for treatment of post-malaria iron-deficiency anaemia in Malawian children comparing immediate post-discharge versus delayed treatment on iron uptake and haematological response
Project Coordinator: Kamija Phiri
Budget: € 199,145
Duration of project: September 2009 – September 2011
African countries involved: Malawi

The effect of HIV co-infection on the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lung
Project Coordinator: Wendy Anne Burgers
Budget: € 199,980
Duration of project: October 2009 – October 2011
African countries involved: South Africa

Evaluating antiretroviral drug resistance in HIV-infected children in Africa
Project Coordinator: Cissy Mutuluuza Kityo
Budget: € 196,900
Duration of the project: November 2009 – November 2011
African countries involved: Uganda

Call: HIV/AIDS Vaccines

HIV vaccine trial capacity building in Tanzania and Mozambique by continued exploration of optimal DNA and MVA boosting strategies; TaMoVac II
Project Coordinator: Eligius Lyamuya
Budget: € 6,367,429 (€ 3,499,331 EDCTP)
Duration of the project: November 2009 – June 2014
African countries: Mozambique, Tanzania
Cofunding partners: SIDA (Sweden), DFID (UK), MRC (UK), Institute for Medical Bioinformatics (Germany), BMBF (Germany)

Call: Regional Networks of Excellence

TESA - Trials of Excellence in Southern Africa
Project coordinator: Alexander Pym
Budget: € 2,640,548 (€ 2,337,304 EDCTP)
Duration of the project: November 2009 – November 2011
African countries involved: Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Call: HIV/AIDS treatment

International Phase 2b randomised clinical trial to study a once-a-day maintenance
Project coordinator: Valeriane Leroy
Budget: € 3,442,969 (€ 1,355,862 EDCTP)
Duration of the project: November 2009 – August 2013
African countries involved: Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivore, Rwanda Cofunding partners: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) (Luxembourg), Treatment and Research AIDS Center (TRAC) (Rwanda), Fonds National de la Recherche (Luxembourg)

Call: TB treatment Support of phase I, II and III clinical trials on new drugs and improved drug combinations

Rapid evaluation of moxifloxacin in tuberculosis - REMox TB
Project coordinator: Stephen Gillespie
Budget: € 8,413,760 (€ 4,206,880 EDCTP)
Duration of project: September 2009 – February 2014
African countries involved: Kenya, South
Africa, Tanzania, Zambia
Cofunding partners: MRC (United Kingdom), TB Alliance (USA), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (USA), NACCAP (Netherlands)

Erratum
In the October 2009 newsletter, there was an error in the overview of African countries involved in the project A proof-of-concept Phase IIb clinical trial to evaluate the protective efficacy of a booster MVA85A vaccination (Martin Ota). The following countries are involved: The Gambia, Senegal, South Africa.

All EDCTP-funded Networks of Excellence (NoEs) have started their activities. Each region of sub-Saharan Africa now has its own network: Western Africa has WANETAM, Eastern Africa has EACCR, Central Africa has CANTAM, and Southern Africa has TESA. The regional Networks unite institutions that collaborate on the basis of their complementary individual strengths such as in good practises for conduct of clinical trials (GCP and GCLP), data management and laboratory capacity. The networks have infrastructural development as well as human capacity development components. Through facilitation of collaborative research activities, training and mentorship schemes, these networks are anticipated to raise the quality of clinical research and practice in sub-Saharan Africa. Read more >>

On 1 December 2009 the EDCTP High Representative, Dr Pascoal Mocumbi and the Director South-South Cooperation and Head of Africa Office, Dr Michael Makanga visited the African Union’s secretariat, the African Union Commission, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The focus of this meeting was sharing information about EDCTP activities in Africa and the need to enhance African participation and contribution to the EDCTP Partnership. Read more >>