| Title: |
Building sustainable clinical trial sites in Sub-Saharan Africa through networking, infrastructure improvement, training and conducting clinical studies: The PanACEA approach |
| Authors: |
Mekota, AM; Gillespie, SH; Hoelscher, M; Diacon, AH; Dawson, R; Churchyard, G; Sanne, I; Minja, L; Kibiki, G; Maboko, L; Lakhi, S; Joloba, M; Alabi, A; Kirenga, B; McHugh, TD; Grobusch, MP; Boeree, MJ |
| Source: |
Acta Tropica , 238 , Article 106776. (2023) |
| Publisher Information: |
Elsevier |
| Publication Year: |
2023 |
| Collection: |
University College London: UCL Discovery |
| Subject Terms: |
Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Parasitology; Tropical Medicine; Capacity development; Infrastructure upgrade; Networking; Sub-Saharan Africa; Sustainability; Training; TUBERCULOSIS-CONTROL; HEALTH RESEARCH; LAMBARENE; CAPACITY; GABON |
| Description: |
Introduction: The Pan-African Consortium for the Evaluation of Anti-Tuberculosis Antibiotics (PanACEA) was designed to build tuberculosis (TB) trial capacity whilst conducting clinical trials on novel and existing agents to shorten and simplify TB treatment. PanACEA has now established a dynamic network of 11 sub-Saharan clinical trial sites and four European research institutions. Objectives: In 2011, a capacity development program, funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), was launched with four objectives, aiming at strengthening collaborating TB research sites to reach the ultimate goal of becoming self-sustainable institutions: networking; training; conducting clinical trials; and infrastructure scaling-up of sites. Methods: Assessment in six sub-Saharan TB-endemic countries (Gabon, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) were performed through a structured questionnaire, site visits, discussion with the PanACEA consortium, setting of milestones and identification of priorities and followed-up with evaluations of each site. The results of this needs-based assessment was then translated into capacity development measures. Results: In the initial phase, over a four-year period (March 2011 – June 2014), the programme scaled-up six sites; conducted a monitoring training program for 11 participants; funded five MSc and four PhD students, fostering gender balance; conducted four epidemiological studies; supported sites to conduct five Phase II studies and formed a sustainable platform for TB research (panacea-tb.net). Conclusion: Our experience of conducting TB clinical trials within the PanACEA programme environment of mentoring, networking and training has provided a sound platform for establishing future sustainable research centres. Our goal of facilitating emergent clinical TB trial sites to better initiate and lead research activities has been mostly successful. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
text |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10165156/ |
| Availability: |
https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10165156/1/McHugh_Mekota%20et%20al.%202021-01-24.pdf; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10165156/ |
| Rights: |
open |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.B8C95ADB |
| Database: |
BASE |