On Going Projects at Tanga Medical Research Centre
1. Title: IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and azithromycin for malaria, sexually transmitted and reproductive tract infections in pregnancy in high sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance areas in Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania: an international multi-centre 3-arm placebo-controlled trial.
Short title: Improving PRegnancy Outcomes with intermittent PReVEntive treatment in Africa (TRIA-2015-1076-IMPROVE)
Main Objective: To determine if IPTp with Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine (DP), either alone or combined with azithromycin (AZ), is safe and superior to IPTp with SP for reducing adverse pregnancy outcomes due to malaria and sexually Transmitted infections (STIs)/Reproductive tract Infections (RTIs).
Funding Agent: European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) with support from the European Union (EU); Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK.
Collaborating Institutions:
- Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK
2. Title: Malaria Research and Capacity building for field trials in Tanzania.
Acronym: MaReCa
Main Objectives:
- To document burden of malaria, develop and characterize efficacious malaria vaccine for children and pregnant women
- To build capacity in malaria research at masters and PhD levels and establish and maintain mentorship programme
Funding Agent: EDCTP
Collaborating Institution: Centre for Medical Parasitology at Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen Denmark (UoC)
3. Title: Multi-disciplinary approach to control onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy in the Mahenge area in Morogoro region, Tanzania.
Acronym: Epilepsy study
Main Objectives:
- Increase the multi-disciplinary research capacity concerning onchocerciasis and epilepsy/nodding syndrome in Tanzania.
- Reduce rates of onchocerciasis and epilepsy/nodding syndrome in the Mahenge area.
Funding agent: VLIR Belgium
Collaborating Institutions:
- University of Antwerp, Belgium.
- Muhimbili University of Health Sciences, Tanzania.
4. Title: Genetic adaptation of non-typhoid Salmonella within human and animal reservoirs in sub-Sahara Africa.
Acronym: NTS STUDY
Main Objective: To determine the genetic adaptation of non-typhoid Salmonella in human and animal reservoirs and socio-economic consequences of iNTS and enteric NTS infections (eNTS)
Funding Agent: Deutsche Forschungs gemeinschaft (DFG), Germany
Collaborating Institution: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) Hamburg, Germany
5. Title: Predicting Vector-Borne Disease epidemics: Dissemination of risk forecasting using District Health Information Software 2 in Tanzania.
Acronym: PRe-VBD
Main Objective: Support efforts to promote public health in Tanzania through improved prediction of epidemic due to vector borne disease at local and national level.
Funding agent: Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Denmark
Collaborating institutions.
- State University of Zanzibar
- Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College
- University of Dar es Salaam
- Joint Malaria Programme
- University of Copenhagen
- Danish Technical University
- University of Gothenburg
6. Title: Epilepsy Pathway Innovation in Africa.
Acronym: EPInA
Main Objective: To increase public awareness and improve the care of epilepsy in Mahenge by improving diagnosis, prevention and management of epilepsy.
Funding Agent: University of Oxford
Collaborating Institutions:
- University of Oxford, UK
- University College London, UK.
- Tanzanian Epilepsy Association, Tanzania.
- National Institute for Medical Research, Tanga Centre, Tanzania
- University of Nairobi, Kenya.
- Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya.
- Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
- World Health Organization, Switzerland.
- University of Ghana, Ghana.
- African Population and Health Research Center, Kenya.
- London School of Economics & Political Science, UK.
- Institute of Child Health, University College London
- Muhimbili National Hospital
- University of Antwerp, Belgium
7. Title: A multi-centre randomised controlled non-inferiority trial to compare the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Triple Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies versus first-line ACTs + placebo for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Africa.
Acronym:DeTACT-AFRICA study
Main Objective: To compare the efficacy of the Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs) and Triple Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (TACTs) as defined by the 42-day PCR corrected adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) within each individual site.
Funding agent: UKAid
Collaborating Institution: Mahidol-Oxford Research Unit (MORU), Mahidol Thailand
8. Title: Evaluation of molecular point-of-care Xpert® Xpress SARS-CoV-2 detection implementation in resource limited settings.
Acronym: EXPERT-CoV2
Main Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and effectiveness of point of care (POC) viral load (VL) assay in improving the availability of SARS-CoV-2 detection for COVID-19 patient management in decentralized healthcare facilities of resource-constrained settings in Africa.
Funding agent: European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)
Collaborating institutions.
- University of Kinshasa, DR Congo;
- Research Institute for Health Sciences, Burkina Faso
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of Antwerp, Belgium
- University of Valencia, Spain
9. Title: Transmission Reservoirs and Acquisition of Multidrug Resistant Bacteria in Neonates admitted to two hospitals within the Tanga region of Tanzania.
Acronym: TRINEO
Main Objective: To determine neonatal bacterial infections and transmission reservoirs of multidrug resistant bacteria among patients attended in Tanga Regional referral Hospital and Korogwe Town Council Hospital.
Funding Agent: The Germany Ministry of Health.
Collaborating Institutions:
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)
- Tanga Regional Referral Hospital (TRRH)
10. Title: Convenience and cost-aspects of a new 1-STEP reconstitution injectable artesunate compared to conventional 2-STEP injectable artesunate for the treatment of severe falciparum malaria: a multi-centre study.
Acronym: 1STEP-AS
Main Objective: To assess convenience and rapidness and costs of administration of 1-STEP vs. conventional 2-STEP parenteral artesunate formulations
Funding agent: Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceuticals
Collaborating Institutions:
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit Bangkok, Thailand
- Kinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa, DR Congo
11. Title: Strengthening environmental surveillance to advance public health action.
Acronym: “ODIN”
Main Objective: Strengthen capacity to implement genomic surveillance system relying on environmental monitoring of major communicable disease agents in community wastewaters and other environmental samples.
Collaborating institutions:
- Lund University, Sweden
- Norwegian Research Centre, Norway
- The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
- University of Kinshasa, DR Congo
- Centre National de la Recherche Technologique et Scientifique, DRCO
- Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, Belgium
- Oxford University
- The Global Health Network, United Kingdom;
- Ghent University, Belgium
12. Title: Severe Malaria treatment with Rectal artesunate and Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy in remote settings.
Acronym: SEMA ReACT
Main objective: To compare the efficacy of community case management of severe malaria depending on the level of intervention by community health workers through the comparison of the efficacy of referral treatment versus non-referral treatment in selected sites from remote areas.
Collaborating Institutions:
- Uantwerpen Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium
- Tropical Diseases Research Centre, Zambia
- Universite de Kinshasa
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Switzerland