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Improving the limited ability of research facilities in Africa to carry out much-needed HIV prevention research trials is at the heart of a four-year, $1.8 million project co-led by Simon Fraser University.

Molecular biologist Mark Brockman and his SFU colleagues are teaming up with South African scientist Thumbi Ndung’u from the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban to build a research network that supports the efforts of Africans to conduct clinical, biomedical and sociological studies on HIV/AIDS and related infections.

The researchers will partner with African ‘Sites of Excellence’ located in South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Rwanda and Uganda. They’ll deliver training programs and laboratory improvement strategies designed to enhance research and clinical capacity, and support collaboration among scientists in areas of Africa that are most affected by HIV/AIDS.

“Through this project, we will link developed and developing sites in Africa with expert support from North American investigators,” says Brockman. “It’s an exciting opportunity to extend the efforts of SFU faculty who already work in the region, through a shared strategy that also provides African sites with training in essential skills – including knowledge of public health surveillance and advanced diagnostic techniques.”

Other SFU faculty members include Zabrina Brumme, Robert Hogg, Cari Miller, Ralph Pantophlet, Jamie Scott, and Jeremy Snyder.

Known as the Canada-Sub Saharan Africa (CANSSA) network, the group is also working to improve clinical and laboratory infrastructure by purchasing essential equipment and data management systems.

“Once the appropriate tools and expertise are in place, we anticipate that African researchers will collaborate independently on projects that apply cross-disciplinary approaches to study local HIV epidemics,” Brockman says.

“The ability of these sites to support randomized controlled trials will allow African researchers to rigorously test the effectiveness of new prevention strategies, including vaccines and microbicides, which will provide important contributions to our fight against AIDS,” he adds.

The project is one of seven new initiatives being funded by the Global Health Research Initiative (GHRI) to strengthen research capacity for African-led HIV/AIDS prevention trials in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that remains at the centre of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

GHRI is a partnership between Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and Health Canada (HC) to collaborate on global health research in Canada.

The partnership aims to strengthen and build capacity for global health research in Canada and in developing countries, and to strengthen the effectiveness of Canada’s overseas development assistance.

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