Grants signed in 2010
Project Coordinator: Fred Lwilla
Institution: Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre, Tanzania
Target disease: Tuberculosis
African countries involved: South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda
Cofunding partners: AISPO-Nsambya Hospital (Uganda), Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, Germany), FIND (Switzerland), Klinikum der
Universität München, Institute for Medical Bioinformatics (Germany), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy), San Raffaelle del Monte Tabor foundation (Italy), SDC (Switzerland) and Swiss National Science Foundation (Switzerland)
Budget: € 3,309,885 (€ 1,532,586 EDCTP)
Duration of project: May 2010-May 2013
TB CHILD aims to build new research capacity in the field of diagnosis and management of paediatric tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Tanzania and Uganda, by exchanging knowledge and expertise between the European and African partners, improving laboratory and clinical infrastructure, providing short-term training and MSc/PhD scholarships for young scientists in Tanzania and Uganda.
TB CHILD will undertake evidence-based clinical evaluation studies on new and improved TB diagnostics in order to find sensitive, fast and affordable tools. The clinical evaluation trials focus on childhood tuberculosis. However, newly developed diagnostic prototypes will be first investigated in adult TB suspects aiming to apply those - if promising – also in children. Limited resources in developing regions require careful and evidence-based validation of new tools prior to their introduction for routine use. In this project, the collected evidence-based evaluation data will go beyond conventional diagnostic accuracy. The analysis will also look at accuracy of diagnostic algorithms (and not only single tests); programmatic readiness and potential contributions to the health care system; impact of new tests on routine clinical decision-making; cost-effectiveness in TB control settings; staff and training capacities; requirements for quality control and assurance and safety issues. The Good Clinical Practice (GCP)/Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP)-compliant studies will be performed at the African sites according to international standards, guidelines and regulations.