African Malaria Network Trust

Last updated
African Malaria Network Trust Acronym: AMANET
Formation14 March 2002
TypeInternational NGO
Headquarters Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Official language
English
Managing Trustee
Prof. Wen Kilama
Website web.archive.org/web/20120114061553/http://www.amanet-trust.org/

The African Malaria Network Trust (AMANET) is a pan-African international NGO headquartered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It originally started its activities as African Malaria Vaccine Testing Network (AMVTN) in 1995 with the primary goal of preparing Africa in planning and conducting malaria vaccine trials. In order to widen the scope in malaria interventions, AMVTN was succeeded by AMANET on 14 March 2002. Although the primary goal of AMANET has remained malaria vaccine development, the organization in its expanded role includes other intervention measures such as antimalaria drugs and vector control.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Precedence

Malaria Clinic in Tanzania helped by SMS for Life program Saving Lives with SMS for Life.jpg
Malaria Clinic in Tanzania helped by SMS for Life program

Malaria is a preventable disease that afflicts hundreds of millions of people causing among them untoward socio-economic suffering including a vicious cycle of abject poverty, brain damage, other irreversible disabilities, and over one million deaths per year. [1] Notwithstanding this leading disease burden, malaria has yet to get the status it deserves on the political and other relevant agenda of endemic communities and development partners.[ citation needed ]

For centuries, malaria has adversely affected the history of sub-Saharan Africa; its control during the past century however concentrated on urban areas where colonial authorities and traders lived and in agricultural estates and mines whose products sustained industries in the colonizing countries. When the global malaria eradication program was showing signs of success, which coincided with the wave of national independence, the eradication program was abandoned in Africa on the pretext of mainly administrative and financial constraints. However, the strategies were continued elsewhere. [2] As a consequence, the malaria situation in Africa worsened; now Africa bears the brunt of the world malaria burden estimated at 500 million malaria cases and up to 3 million malaria deaths per annum, and costing an estimated US$12 billion annually. [3] [4]

Continued failure of current strategies (prompt diagnosis, early correct treatment, and the use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) calls for a need to develop entirely new tools that would contribute to the fight of a resilient enemy and reverse its devastation. Over the last three decades there has been considerable interest in research and development of malaria vaccines. Research results that have been obtained so far show that malaria vaccine candidates would differ not only in their biological properties, but also in their eventual applications. [5] [6] Vaccines have been exceptionally effective against a number of diseases and have become one of the safest and most cost-effective weapons in medicine's arsenal against communicable disease. Perhaps no other intervention has had such a dramatic impact on the health and well-being of our society as the introduction of vaccines.[ citation needed ]

Establishment

In 1995 at a conference held in Arusha, Tanzania, 81 malaria researchers from Africa, Europe and North America established the African Malaria Vaccine Testing Network (AMVTN) in order to prepare Africa for planning, undertaking and coordinating malaria vaccine trials In order to widen the scope in malaria interventions, and to operate within a legal framework, AMVTN was succeeded by AMANET in 2002. Although the primary goal of AMANET has remained malaria vaccine development, in its expanded role the organization would also support study into other intervention approaches such as antimalarial drugs, diagnostics and vector control. AMANET is committed to the creation of an environment for enabling the development of African centres of excellence in malaria research through capacity strengthening of African scientists and institutions. [7]

Mission

The mission of AMANET is to promote capacity strengthening and networking of malaria research and development in Africa.

Broad objective

To continue developing self-sustainable centres in Africa that meet international requirements for conducting malaria intervention trials.

Organization Structure

The organization structure of AMANET comprises the General Assembly, Board of Trustees, the Secretariat, Scientific Coordinating Committee, Scientific Advisory Panel, Trial Sites Development Committee and Expert Committees.

The General Assembly comprising representatives of malaria R&D institutions in Africa and allied institutions outside Africa is the topmost organ. It generally meets every two years and is responsible for electing the board of trustees and the Scientific Coordinating Committee.

The Board of Trustees is the ultimate authority in matters of policy and investment. It oversees the general governance, regulation and control of AMANET.

The Scientific Coordinating Committee is constituted of senior research scientists elected by the General Assembly. It is responsible for receiving and reviewing reports from the Secretariat and from the Expert Committees. The SCC advises the board of trustees on scientific matters. Its functions also include the reviewing of research proposals and letters of expression of interest and the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing and completed research projects.

The Secretariat is the executive organ of the Trust, serving the board of trustees and all the committees.

The Trial Sites Development Committee a committee of experts appointed by the board of trustees from SCC to advise AMANET on specific issues relating to the development of trial sites.

The Scientific Advisory Panel is a panel of experts from various disciplines from whom ad hoc Expert Committees are formed to advise AMANET on specific research and scientific issues.

Product research and development

Among the cherished goals of AMANET is to develop sustainable human and infrastructure capacity for African owned and led institutions to undertake malaria vaccine trials that are appropriate for Africans living in malaria-endemic areas. The current focus is to support the creation of a spectrum of interventional tools, especially vaccines that are efficacious, acceptable, affordable and readily accessible. The following are AMANET's candidate malaria vaccine portfolio:

It is expected that within the next three years several trials of these candidate vaccines shall be undertaken at the auspices of AMANET. Other candidate vaccines which meet the required profile are welcome to the AMANET malaria vaccine development programme.

Capacity strengthening

Human resource and infrastructure development for malaria interventions in Africa is of up most priority to AMANET. This goal is being realized through both short-term trainings as well as direct financial support of the core centres. AMANET conducts short-term trainings through various workshops conducted throughout Africa, around six times a year. Additionally AMANET supports long-term training of individuals from AMANET funded sites which include:

Building institutional capacities in Health Research Ethics in Africa

This is a new project at AMANET funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at strengthening Health Research Ethics (HRE) capacity in Africa. The project aims at ensuring that as the African populations are recruited into health research projects, the protection of their welfare and interests is enhanced. The HRE project has three parts: building Health Research Ethics capacity, online Health Research Ethics discussion forum and Ask the Expert/Ethicist.

The HRE capacity building project focuses on training ethics committee members on Research Ethics in order to improve the ethical review process of committees that are mandated to safeguard the welfare of research participants. In order to concentrate on activities that have greater potential to strengthen the Ethics Committees, a baseline survey was conducted to identify area of weakness that need to be addressed. A cohort of 21 Ethics Committees is being enrolled in this project and will be involved in various activities aimed at addressing areas of weakness in the review process. These committees are being provided with a sub-grant to support infrastructure and administration at their committees.

Overall, activities are spread over a period of three years, and they include, besides capacity strengthening and infrastructure support, a series of eight Research Ethics training workshops, two of which will be in French (for the benefit of the participating Francophone countries). Through the workshops, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be developed/improved, and an additional workshop focussing on harmonization of SOPs will be organised. In addition, a workshop on Research Ethics will be organised specifically for investigators.

It is envisaged that overall the HRE capacity building programme will contribute towards the establishment of competent and independent Ethics Committees that have well-equipped offices, functional and harmonised SOPs, electronic databases and archiving systems, and trained members who network and interact through online discussion forum and workshops.

The Afro Immuno-Assay Network

Afro Immuno-Assay Network, started by AMANET in 2003, has been working on developing standardized immunological assays using the same reagents and statistical tools to assess the association between acquisition of malaria specific antibody responses starting with four potential malaria vaccine candidate antigens and subsequent protection from clinical malaria. This is a concerted network of eight African countries/Institutions with different geographical and epidemiological settings comprising low to holoendemic malaria and three supporting European institutions. Now the AIA network is under a new five-year project, within the European Malaria Vaccine Development Association (EMVDA) Consortium. In this Integrated Project, the AIA network focuses on standardization and validation of its immunological assays, expand to include new partners, further training for participating African immunologists and enhancement of laboratory expertise to include functional assays required for malaria vaccine evaluation.[ citation needed ]

Short and long-term training

During the first Strategic Planning period, AMANET supported and organized several training workshops which benefited over 1000 African malaria researchers and associated personnel. In the process a comprehensive repository of expertise essential for the evaluation of malaria interventions, is being built up. Some of the former AMANET trainees have become experts in these areas. During this strategic plan period, AMANET will draw upon this vast expertise to constitute teams of trainers that facilitate short term training for AMANET beneficiary institutions, and for others upon request. The training will be in such areas as Health Research Ethics review in Africa; development of Standard Operating Procedures for Ethical Review Committee; Health Research Ethics for Investigators; Good Laboratory Practice and Standard Operating Procedures; Good clinical practice; Good Clinical Practice for African clinical monitors; Design, methodology and data management in intervention trials; Roles and operations of Data Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMB).

Given the ever-rising demands for AMANET short-term training, alternative teaching methods have been developed and are being utilized. Web-based training on health research ethics (HRE) is in good progress. The AMANET HRE web-based course has been very successfully accessed through the AMANET website. The online course was launched in September 2006 and to date over 150 participants have successfully completed the course and over 430 candidates have registered for the course. Participants have been drawn from Africa, Europe and the US. Based on its success, AMANET has acquired other resources to continue the project and also expand the e-learning opportunities to include other courses such a GCP, French version of the same course, and an Advanced Ethics Course.

The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria

From January 2006, AMANET became host to the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Secretariat. This is a global alliance of individuals, funding partners and four autonomous constituents comprising the MIM Secretariat, MIM/TDR, MIMCom and MR4. Its mission is to strengthen and sustain, through collaborative research and training, to carry out research that is required to develop and improve tools for malaria control, and to strengthen the research control interphase.[ citation needed ]

Acknowledgements

AMANET acknowledges financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands), the Danish International Development Agency, the European Commission's Directorate-General Research and AIDCO, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, [12] the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Secretariat for including AMANET in their portfolio for EDF9 support.

Related Research Articles

The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is a partnership between the European Union (EU), Norway, Switzerland and developing countries and other donors, as well as the pharmaceutical industry, to enable clinical trials and the development of new medicines and vaccines against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The need for global action against these diseases in order to promote poverty reduction has been recognised by the United Nations, the G8, and the African Union, and the program envisioned the provision of €600 million for the period 2003–2007 in order to translate medical research results into clinical applications relevant to the needs of developing countries.

The Division of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (DAIDS) is a division of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. It was formed in 1986 as a part of the initiative to address the national research needs created by the advent and spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Specifically, the Division's mission is to increase basic knowledge of the pathogenesis, natural history, and transmission of HIV disease and to support research that promotes progress in its detection, treatment, and prevention. DAIDS accomplishes this through planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating programs in (1) fundamental basic research, (2) discovery and development of therapies for HIV infection and its complications, and (3) discovery and development of vaccines and other prevention strategies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Council of Medical Research</span> Government organization

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative</span> Non-profit organization

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a collaborative, patients' needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development (R&D) organization that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases, notably leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, malaria, filarial diseases, mycetoma, paediatric HIV, cryptococcal meningitis, hepatitis C, and dengue. DNDi's malaria activities were transferred to Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) in 2015.

University of Gezira, or U of G, is a public university located in Wad Medani, Sudan. It is a member of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World.

The Health Metrics Network (HMN) was a global health partnership focused on strengthening health information systems in low and middle income countries, launched in May 2005 during the 58th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) and dissolved on 31 May 2013. Hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, the HMN's stated purpose was to make available timely and accurate health information by encouraging joint funding and development of country health information systems, to improve health and save lives.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to clinical research:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JN-International Medical Corporation</span> Pharmaceutical company in Nebraska, United States

JN-International Medical Corporation (JNIMC) is a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical corporation which since 1998 has been focused on developing vaccines and diagnostics for infectious disease for developing countries. This private corporation was founded in 1998 by Dr. Jeeri R. Reddy with the help of Dr. Kelly F. Lechtenberg in a small rural town, Oakland, Nebraska. From there it grew and expanded until in the year 2000 the corporation moved to Omaha, Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics</span> Swiss global health nonprofit organization

FIND is a global health non-profit based in Geneva, Switzerland. FIND functions as a product development partnership, engaging in active collaboration with over 150 partners to facilitate the development, evaluation, and implementation of diagnostic tests for poverty-related diseases. The organisation's Geneva headquarters are in Campus Biotech. Country offices are located in New Delhi, India; Cape Town, South Africa; and Hanoi, Viet Nam.

Evidence Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) is a network, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), which attempts to improve public health, especially in developing countries, by coordinating the efforts of policymakers and health researchers.

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) is an Arlington, Virginia-based non-profit organization of scientists, clinicians, students and program professionals whose longstanding mission is to promote global health through the prevention and control of infectious and other diseases that disproportionately afflict the global poor. ASTMH members work in areas of research, health care and education that encompass laboratory science, international field studies, clinical care and country-wide programs of disease control. The current organization was formed in 1951 with the amalgamation of the American Society of Tropical Medicine, founded in 1903, and the National Malaria Society, founded in 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South</span>

The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) is an inter-governmental organization, having a membership of 27 developing countries from three continents, Latin America, Africa and Asia. Twenty four S&T/R&D institutions of developing countries are affiliated with COMSATS as members of its Network of International S&T Centers of Excellence for Sustainable Development in the South. The organization aims at sustainable socio-economic uplift of the developing countries through scientific and technological means while adopting North-South and South-South cooperation.

Makerere University Walter Reed Project (MUWRP) was established in 2002 for the primary purpose of HIV vaccine development and building of vaccine testing capability in Uganda. It is one of the 5 international research sites established by the Department of Defense (DoD) United States HIV Research Program (MHRP), a program centered at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) in Silver Spring, Maryland. MUWRP's main facility is centrally located in Kampala, near the Makerere University College of Health Sciences where the MUWRP laboratory is located. The main facility includes the clinic, administrative, and data offices.

The Centre for Communication Programs Nigeria (CCPN) is a registered Nigerian organization specializing in the development and implementation of strategic health communication projects and programs. CCPN focuses on the central role of communication to impact health behavior, providing leadership and technical guidance in the field of strategic health communication. Supported by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (JHUCCP) in Baltimore, CCPN was created as an innovative means to ensure the availability of high quality communication expertise in Nigeria and to support health and development programming. With an office in Abuja, CCPN has robust institutional capacity and human resources to effectively improve public health in Nigeria. CCPN is strategically positioned in Nigeria to implement strategic communication programs with the government of Nigeria, international donors, funders and non-governmental organizations focusing on the central role of communication in health behavior change in relevant health areas.

The Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance (MESA) is an organization founded on the research carried out by the Malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA). "malERA" was a project carried out by the scientific community to identify the steps and future research that must be done in order to eradicate malaria. It was created after the Malaria Forum in 2007, hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, reestablished malaria eradication as a long-term goal. "malERA" first launched in 2008, and resulted in a research and development agenda which was published in a PLoS Medicine magazine in 2011. MESA was formed in 2012 to continue the goals of malERA through research and development of methods to fight malaria.

Pedro L. Alonso, is a physician, epidemiologist, and researcher in diseases that affect vulnerable populations. Based on a multidisciplinary approach, his work focuses mainly on malaria, although he has also studied other infectious diseases. He served as the Director of the Global Malaria Programme at the World Health Organization between 2014 and 2022, and is currently Professor of Global Health at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science-Hospital Clinic, at the University of Barcelona.

Trudie Lang is a Professor of Global Health Research at the University of Oxford. She specialises in clinical trials research capacity building in low-resource setting, and helped to organise the trial for the drug brincidofovir during the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak.

The European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) is a non-profit Product Development Partnership (PDP) with the goal of supporting and accelerating the development of effective and affordable vaccines for global health. Since its inception in 1998, EVI has operated as an independent non-profit organisation that works closely with academic researchers, the private sector, governments, and other organisations to spearhead vaccine development. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, EVI collaborates with partners across the world to pursue its mission.

Halidou Tinto is a Professor of parasitology and global health scientist with research that has contributed to understanding and combating malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa. Tinto founded the Clinical Research Unit of Nanaro (CRUN) in Burkina Faso as part of the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS). Tinto is now the Regional Director of the IRSS, and throughout his career he has contributed to the study of antimalarial drug resistance and the development of malaria vaccines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hulda Swai</span> Tanzanian researcher and professor

Hulda Shaidi Swai,, is a Tanzanian researcher and professor in life sciences and bioengineering. She is a pioneer in nanomedicine research in the development of drugs against infectious diseases in Africa. Her work focuses in particular on the use of nanotechnology in antimalarial drugs.

References

  1. ↑ "Global Malaria Situation:World Malaria Report 2005". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
  2. ↑ Greenwood B, Mutabingwa T (February 2002). "Malaria in 2002". Nature. 415 (6872): 670–2. doi: 10.1038/415670a . PMID   11832954.
  3. ↑ Sachs J, Malaney P (February 2002). "The economic and social burden of malaria". Nature. 415 (6872): 680–5. doi:10.1038/415680a. PMID   11832956. S2CID   618837.
  4. ↑ Breman JG (2001). "The ears of the hippopotamus: manifestations, determinants, and estimates of the malaria burden". Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 64 (1–2 Suppl): 1–11. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2001.64.1 . PMID   11425172.
  5. ↑ Engers H (May 1998). "Corrigendum: Engers, H.D. and Godal, T. Malaria vaccine development: current status. Parasitol. Today 14, 56-64, 1998". Parasitol. Today (Regul. Ed.). 14 (5): 192. doi:10.1016/S0169-4758(98)01236-8. PMID   17040749.
  6. ↑ "Africa must engage directly in fight against malaria". SciDevNet. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
  7. ↑ Kilama WL, Chilengi R, Wanga CL (December 2007). "Towards an African-driven malaria vaccine development program: history and activities of the African Malaria Network Trust (AMANET)". Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 77 (6 Suppl): 282–8. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2007.77.282 . PMID   18165504.
  8. ↑ "A Phase Ib Trial of MSP 3 LSP in 1-2 Year Old Children in Burkina Faso (MSP3LSP)". ClinicalTrial.gov. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  9. ↑ "Phase Ib Trial of MSP3 LSP in Children in Tanzania (MSP3TN)". ClinicalTrial.gov. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  10. ↑ "Safety and Immunogenicity of Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (PfAMA-1-FVO[25-545])". ClinicalTrial.gov. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  11. ↑ "Safety of Recombinant Hybrid GMZ 2 [GLURP + MSP 3] Blood Stage Malaria Vaccine". ClinicalTrial.gov. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  12. ↑ "Malaria Grant: African Malaria Network Trust (AMANET)". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.