The ITM received official status from the Belgian government as a ‘Sponsor of non-commercial clinical trials' in 2007. Clinical trials involve the testing of new drugs on humans. The Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) offers technical support to science departments in the areas of methodology and standards for clinical tests in developing countries, e.g. ethical and other regulations, follow-up, data management, statistical support, etc. We give priority to clinical tests under the auspices of the European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP).
We participate in the coordination and management of ITM-sponsored clinical trials in developing countries. We develop general and study-specific procedures and tools, based on the guidelines of the World Health Organization and the ICH Good Clinical Practices, while taking into account the specific aspects and limitations of each context.
We engage in capacity building with our partners in the South, and give courses on Good Clinical Practices and other international guidelines.
Contact person: Raffaella Ravinetto (rravinetto@itg.be)
The Interdepartmental Working Group on Neglected Diseases (IDND) strives to improve coordination at the ITM between biological, clinical, epidemiological and control-targeted research related to neglected diseases. Better coordinated research results in better use of the resources, more critical mass and higher quality. Our main efforts are devoted to African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis and cysticercosis.
Our specific objectives are:
Contact person: Marleen Boelaert (mboelaert@itg.be)
We organize around ten cluster meetings a year to give ITM staff from different departments the opportunity to exchange ideas about international health policies from their own perspective (illnesses, healthcare systems, etc.).
The selected themes are usually related to an international event (such as an AIDS conference or a meeting of the Global Fund Board) or deal with important topics in international healthcare. We regularly invite internationally recognized experts to our meetings, with the understanding that no one is quoted by name outside the meeting and everyone can speak freely.
Contact person: Wim Van Damme (wvdamme@itg.be); David Hercot (dhercot@itg.be)
The TB Cluster is an interdepartmental, thematic discussion and contact group for tuberculosis (and related illnesses), which usually meets around four times a year. We share our research results and comment on them, and we also discuss new project proposals and harmonize them where necessary. Multidisciplinary cooperation strengthens our research potential and increases our critical mass.
Contact person: Leen Rigouts (lrigouts@itg.be)
The high costs of molecular biological research, and the chronic lack of space at the constantly growing ITM makes combining labs and equipment a very good idea. Five research units and the Microbiology and Parasitology Departments jointly use one common area for all their pre-PCR activities, PCR machines, post-PCR analysis, DNA cloning and radioactive labeling. They purchase the equipment jointly via a central budget to which each unit contributes. They jointly develop quality and safety rules for e.g. the use of ethidium bromide. Scientists from other ITM units, such as virologists and clinical biologists, can also use the platform.
Contact person: Jean-Claude Dujardin (jcdujard@itg.be)
The ITM HIV/AIDS Center (IHAC) serves as a think-tank for AIDS science, programmes and policies and allows different ITM units involved in HIV or AIDS work to exchange information and coordinate their research. Besides reviewing ongoing research, we also discuss new ideas for interdepartmental research.
Contact person: Marie Laga (mlaga@itg.be)
Humans are mammals and as result human and veterinary medicine overlap. The One Health & One Medicine network does not devote its efforts to a single healthcare for humans and animals, but to the exchange of experience and resources, especially in the control of zoonoses – illnesses transmitted from animals to humans. The network's interests also include the emergence of resistance in pathogens that affect humans and animals. Besides various departments of ITM, the network also has institutional partners in South Africa, Morocco, Ecuador, Vietnam and Cambodia.
We organize working conferences, discuss the literature, organize surveys and maintain a website.
Contact person: Tanguy Marcotty (tmarcotty@itg.be)