Adolescent engagement in HIV research

Adolescent Engagement in HIV Research in Africa: A crowdsourcing open call

Adolescents across Africa are engaging in HIV research in innovative ways, setting a new standard for meaningful research engagement. In partnership with the Adolescent HIV Prevention and Treatment Implementation Science Alliance, our team is organizing a crowdsourcing open call. The purpose of the open call is to solicit creative ways that adolescents (14-24 years old) have participated in HIV research studies in Africa. Adolescents who submit exceptional texts, images, or videos will receive prizes.

More details are available here

Deadline for submissions is 31 January 2021.

Contact Kadija at africayouthopencall@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Contact Kadija at africayouthopencall@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Investigating artemisinin resistance

Investigating Artemisinin Resistance in Nigerian isolates of Plasmodium Falciparum

Malaria control gained traction after the introduction of artemisinin-based combination treatment. Unfortunately, artemisinin (ART) resistance has been reported in South-East Asia (SEA) and there are emerging reports of delayed ART sensitivity in African parasites, suggesting imminent treatment failure. As replacement antimalarial drugs are yet unavailable, monitoring artemisinin resistance in African parasites and understanding the markers of such adaptation will be important to stop resistance in its tracks. Kelch-13 gene mutations are the markers of ART resistance in SEA. However, these markers do not provide phenotypic evidence of resistance in African isolates. This suggests that mechanisms driving ART tolerance in African parasites could be independent of Kelch-13 markers. In this study, we will assess the efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine for the treatment of Plasmodium falciparum in their natural human hosts and in vitro. The public health implications of ART-based treatment failure make this proposal very crucial for early detection of ART-tolerant malaria parasites in the country.

  • Funder: EDCTP 
  • Start date: 01 January 2021
  • End date: 31 December 2023
  • Status: Ongoing
  • Members: 1
  • Principal Investigator: Dr Kolapo Oyebola