Eastern Africa Consortium for clinical Research (EACCR)
EACCR is an Eastern Africa-led network established in 2009 and comprises of 23 regional partners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, and 5 Northern partners from Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and United Kingdom.
EACCR’s Aim.
Is to strengthen and sustain an existing long-term- and highly successful collaboration aiming to continue to build capacity among junior SSA researchers; and create productive South-South as well as South-North research networks to deliver high quality and high impact ICH-GCP research in PRDs.
OUR VALUES
- Innovation
- Excellence
- Equity
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Sustainability
Specific Objectives of the EACCR
- To establish the EACCR as a sustainable Network of Excellence (NoE) that synergizes with other networks to build capacity for conducting internationally recognized research in the Eastern Africa region.
- Establish a robust research programme that will support the conduct of ICH-GCP studies with special focus on co-morbidities between the PRDs and NCDs, other infections including but not limited to COVID-19
- To deliver a training and mentorship program promoting an increase in the number of independent African researchers, research leaders and managers able to conduct internationally competitive clinical trials.
- To develop and improve a scalable, GCP compliant, robust statistics and data management
- To strengthen and strategically expand South-South and North-South collaborations
The EACCR 2 has 6 Nodes
- HIV node host at UVRI- Entebbe Uganda, which is also the Secretariat, TB node NIMR- Muhimbili, Tanzania, NID node KEMRI/CGHR of Kisumu Kenya, Malaria node KEMRI- Welcome Trust- Kilifi, Mentorship and Training node KCRI- Moshi Tanzania and Coordination -UVRI, Uganda & KCRI, Tanzania.
Contact of EACCR-2 Node Coordinators
- Prof Pontiano Kaleebu, Overall Project Coordinator (OPC), EACCR Secretariat. (Pontiano.kaleebu@mrcuganda.org/pkaleebu@uvri.go.ug)
- Prof. Blandina Mmbaga, Deputy Coordinator. (b.mmbaga@kcri.ac.tz)
- Prof. Reginald Kavishe Training Node Coordinator. (r.kavishe@kcri.ac.tz)
- Dr Sayoki Mfinanga, TB Node Coordinator. (gsmfinanga@yahoo.com)
- Dr Bernard Kikaire, HIV Node Coordinator. (bkikaire@uvri.go.ug)
- Dr Norbert Peshu, Malaria Node Coordinator (npeshu@kilifi.kemri-wellcome.org)
- Dr. Erick Muok Mmbata, NID Node Coordinator (emuok@kemri.org)
Previous EACCR performance, capacity, and experience
The EACCR has become a strong and sustainable collaborative research platform, which has nurtured improved coordination and is consensus driven. It has contributed to a more than 150 peer review publications. (Funded by the grant and other grants with involvement of trainees and NoE scientists) established an East African pool of 25 senior and mentored clinical trial monitors in support of high-quality trials co-coordinated by participating countries.
Several sites were upgraded in EACCR and are now participating in clinical studies in TB and comorbidities based on a diversity of funding sources, for instance at Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute (KCRI), where three sites were upgraded.
At the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), upgrades were done to the UVRI clinic, a highly productive research institution as well as a level two health centre. By improving the data management capacity and building a patient waiting area.
To promote career development among junior, mid- as well as senior scientists, the EACCR network successfully won and implemented several fellowship grants during the EACCR2 period.
These included:
‘Evaluation of Pharmacokinetics and Safety/Tolerability of Higher Doses of Rifampicin in Children with Newly Diagnosed, Uncomplicated Tuberculosis’-three years EDCTP -CDF grant. and ‘Research capacity strengthening for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in Tanzania-EDCTP/TMA Senior Fellow-Five years (active). Policy briefs were released to TB stakeholders on ‘New Algorithm for Tuberculosis Sepsis Diagnosis and Early Treatment in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Patients with Life Threatening Illness’. Another example is the “EDCTP2 Joint Call for Proposals TMA2017PF – EDCTP-AREF Preparatory Fellowships. Together, the TB package/node team won an EDCTP award to carry out a large trial entitled “Translation research into policy and practice: Scaling up Evidence Based Multiple Focus Integrated Intensified TB Screening to End TB (EXIT-TB) in the East African region. (Number 1608-EXIT-TB).
In addition, we awarded small grant fellowships to 4 junior fellows from countries who are members of the network’s TB nodes, and through research methods mentorship and training, small call researches have been conducted and 4 manuscripts are under preparation. One MSc student has graduated, and three MSc students are continuing with their studies.
Other EACCR2 Details are available in our brochure.
Other EDCTP Grants
Title: Use of Point of Care HIV Viral Load Monitoring to improve Viral Load Suppression among Children and Adolescents Living with HIV in East Africa
Acronym: EAPoC-VL
Study number: RIA2019IR-2873
Funder: European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)
Duration: 4 years (2021 – 2025)
Principal Investigator: Prof. Pontiano Kaleebu
Title: The Capacity building for Female Scientist in East Africa
Acronym: CAFÉ-SEA
Other Partner Institutions:
Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kenya
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Stichting Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD), Netherlands
MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Uganda
University of Rwanda (UR), Rwanda
National Institute for Medical Research - Tanzania (NIMR), Tanzania, United Republic of
Institute of Endemic Diseases (IEND), Sudan
Uganda National Health Research Organisation (UNHRO), Uganda
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
University College London (UCL), United Kingdom
KEMRI–Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Switzerland
Stichting Katholieke Universiteit- Radboudumc (RUMC), Netherlands
The Good Samaritan Foundation (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre GSF KCMC), Tanzania