Two new EDCTP grants awarded to ITM
We are happy to report that two ITM research projects have received funding from the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). The Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking funding programme encourages teamwork in research to accelerate the clinical development of novel or enhanced treatments for infectious diseases linked to poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. The European Union, represented by the European Commission, and the EDCTP Association, which represents the governments of 15 European and 30 sub-Saharan African nations, have partnered to form the EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking.
Creating a fast, affordable, easy-to-use system to diagnose tuberculosis in children
ACT4KIDS-TB is a project aimed at improving diagnosis of paediatric tuberculosis (TB) through an innovative clinical decision-making app that incorporates two key technologies: the Actiphage assay (faster phage-based blood test) and computer-assisted diagnosis of chest X-rays (CAD) at the point-of-care. It will assess the diagnostic effectiveness of Actiphage (a virus that infects bacteria) in detecting viable mycobacteria from blood samples quickly and with fewer laboratory requirements than traditional culture methods. The project will also evaluate existing CAD algorithms using smartphone-based images. It will involve 206 children with suspected TB and up to 150 healthcare workers and caregivers in South Africa and Benin (which have a high burden of disease), focusing on cost-effectiveness and feasibility to enable technology transfer. Furthermore, the project will strengthen local capacity by providing PhD opportunities and developing open-access training resources in paediatric TB diagnosis, fostering collaboration among a range of stakeholders including industry, policy makers, and global scientific bodies.
The ACT4KIDS-TB project is led by ITM’s Unit of Tuberculosis. The consortium includes two partners in South Africa and three in Kenya.
West African Network of Excellence for TB, AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM-4)
The West Africa Networks of Excellence for Tuberculosis, AIDS, and Malaria (WANETAM) has developed over 3 previous funding cycles for research capacity development in West Africa. The WANETAM-4 project builds upon the achievements of previous cycles to enhance expertise in clinical research and strengthen linkages with global partners and national public health institutions (PHIs). The proposal aims to establish sustainable capacity for conducting clinical research and safeguarding against epidemics in the region.
WANETAM-4 will implement its activities through eight work programmes divided into 25 Work Packages. The work programmes include: TB; Malaria; HIV; Special collaborative training on epidemic preparedness and surveillance; Cross-cutting training; Clinical trial preparedness, Scientific programme Leadership; and Communication, dissemination and exploitation.
The project is coordinated by EDCTP in Netherlands and involves 35 international partners in Europe and Africa, with a total budget of 13.25 million euros. ITM and the Unit of Pharmaceutical Public Health will work within the work programme of Clinical Trial Preparedness with the Medical Research Council in The Gambia on work package 19, which aims to strengthen the clinical research oversight and pharmacovigilance capacities in some selected countries in West Africa. This achievement confirms the PPH unit expertise and leadership in this field - their related research portfolio also includes the ongoing CEPSA project and the ongoing EDCTP-funded SECRET project.
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