Research Projects

African coaLition for Epidemic Research, Response, and Training (ALERRT)

Summary of Project Aims: ALERRT is a multi-disciplinary consortium building a patient-centered clinical research network to respond to epidemics across sub-Saharan Africa. ALERRT aims to reduce the public health and socio-economic impact of disease outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa by building a sustainable clinical and laboratory research preparedness and response network. ALERRT consists of 21 partner organizations from 13 countries (9 African and 4 European). ALERRT combines the strengths of leading African and European partners in epidemic-prone infectious diseases research. We are committed to delivering an agile research response that supports national, regional, and global health security initiatives. The Work package 4 of ALERRT is being led by KCCR and is working towards establishing a response framework that alleviates administrative, regulatory, and ethical bottlenecks and mobile-research capabilities that together ensure ALERRT can act swiftly to initiate fit-for-purpose clinical and laboratory research in varying settings within SSA in case of actual REPID threat. 

Salary expenses for Snakebite Project (SAL-SBE)

Summary of Project Aims: 1. to assess clinician knowledge and management practices regarding snakebite envenoming in the Upper West Region of Ghana; 2. to establish a clinical database for prospective collection of epidemiological and clinical data on snakebite envenoming in the Upper West Regional and Municipal Hospitals; 3. at least one PhD thesis to be completed with project data.

RECOVERY Clinical Trial

Summary of Project Aims: RECOVERY is a randomized control trial among hospitalized adults to investigate the effect of different therapies for Covid-19 disease. The randomized trial among patients hospitalized for Covid-19 was conducted in two study sites (KATH, Kumasi, and GA EAST, Accra). All eligible patients were randomly allocated between several treatment arms, each to be given in addition to the usual standard of care in the participating hospital.

Lancet One Health Commission

Summary of Project Aims: The One Health Lancet Commission is hosted by the Centre for Global Health at the University of Oslo (UiO). The aim of the Commission is to synthesize the evidence supporting a One Health approach to enhancing health within an environment shared by humans and animals. The commission’s work explicates the significance of a One Health approach for policy, by engaging transdisciplinary expertise and perspectives from both the public and private sectors. The Lancet One Health Commission is co-chaired by Prof. John Amuasi, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and Prof. Andrea Winkler, Centre for Global Health at UiO and Center for Global Health at the Technical University of Munich. A core group comprising staff from the Centre for Global Health at UiO, WHO and Imperial College is driving the direction, design, and implementation of the Commission. 

The Global Health Network (TGHN) Artificial Intelligence-Ghana hub

Summary of Project Aims: 1. to establish a locally led high quality Centre for The Global Health Network to advance knowledge mobilization, through the active sharing of resources, and the dissemination of research activities; 2. to contribute to the understanding of the research landscape, existing capacity and challenges faced with research in the country; 3. to build and engage a community of practice for the country; 4. to promote TGHN in the country and the Region; engaging wider groups and communities in the related activities; 5. to facilitate training initiatives to support and strengthen the research environment: supported learning sessions, research clubs, data clinics; 6. to seek and collaborate on further joint research grant proposals, building on local and regional partnerships.

Snakebite Incidence, Treatment and Effects in Ghana (SnakebITE)

Summary of Project Aims: 1. to establish a more accurate estimate of the national burden of snakebite envenoming (SBE); 2. to fill the missing gap of data on treatment seeking, current treatment practices and clinical and health outcomes of SBE; 3. to provide critical information for determining stocking and informed distribution of antivenoms in Ghana; 4. to assess the cost of illness of SBE; 5. to develop and implement locally relevant behavior change communication tools for community-based snakebite prevention and management.

Severe neonatal adaptive platform trials in Africa (SNIP-Africa)

Summary of Project Aims: The SNIP-AFRICA is a multi-country multi-centre project that focuses on high-burden, high impact group of inpatient neonates and infants with sepsis. This is a group especially affected by escalating rates of AMR in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) healthcare facilities contributing to much slower than desirable improvements in neonatal mortality across SSA. The project therefore aims to establish a clinical research network and architecture to implement adaptive platform trials in SSA, responding to the urgent need for improved treatment of childhood infection in an era of increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research group will lead the Capacity Building Work Package for the SNIP-AFRICA Consortium.

Africa Snakebite Alliance (ASA)

Summary of Project Aims: The ASA project aims to improve health outcomes for people affected by snakebite envenoming by addressing evidence gaps in policy and practice in Africa.

Collaborative AI-Driven Resource for Expectant Mothers with Diabetes (C.A.R.E GDM) (formerly RAID-MaP-Gh)

Summary of Project Aims: The C.A.R.E GDM project aims to develop an AI-powered clinical decision support tool. The tool will assist less experienced clinicians and under-resourced healthcare providers in managing complications and comorbidities in pregnancies, with a focus on pregestational and gestational diabetes mellitus.

Promoting Systematic and Transparent Use of Evidence in One Health Policy Decision-Making in Ghana (OH-EVI)

Summary of Project Aims: This project aims to bring together key stakeholders to foster long-term collaboration between research producers and users. The goal is to bridge the gap between technical expertise and policymaking to enhance the uptake of research in policy processes, increasing the visibility and prioritization of One Health topics at the national, regional, and global levels.

An open label randomized controlled trial comparing novel combination and currently used antibiotic regimens for the empiric treatment of neonatal sepsis with a run-in confirmatory pharmacokinetic phase (NEOSEP1)

Summary of Project Aims: The study will take place at the MBU (Mother and Baby Unit) at KATH, with a target of recruiting 50 participants per year for 4 years. A written informed consent will be obtained from parents/guardians prior to the commencement of any trial-related procedure. The sheet will be read aloud to those who are unable to read, and the written consent form signed by an independent witness where parents are not able to sign their name but provide only a thumbprint. Consent will be sought again if a neonate’s legal guardian changes. Neonates for whom the trial is medically appropriate, based on the inclusion criteria, will be considered for the study. Participants will be randomized, and treatment initiated on the same day, if possible. The study hypothesizes that mortality in hospitalized neonates with sepsis can be reduced by choosing a top-ranked antibiotic regimen compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended empiric antibiotic regimens for neonatal sepsis and other currently used regimens.
The study aims to prove that mortality in hospitalized neonates with sepsis can be reduced by choosing a top-ranked antibiotic regimen compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended empiric antibiotic regimens for neonatal sepsis and other currently used regimens.

1.    The primary objective is to provide a ranking of eight different clinically relevant antibiotic regimens for first-line empiric and second-line (after lack of response/deterioration) treatment in terms of 28-day mortality as the primary outcome measure.

2.    A secondary objective is to provide a ranking of clinically relevant antibiotic regimens based on other efficacy and safety secondary outcomes, as well as on health economic measures and the potential selection of resistance
 

Chronic Infections in Hypertensive dIsorders of Pregnancy (preeclampsia) And Colorectal CArcinoma (CHIPCA)

Summary of Project Aims: Schistosomiasis affects over 230 million people globally, with Ghana bearing a significant burden despite ongoing mass drug administration. In partnership with Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Klinikum Rechts-der-Isar, and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, we are establishing a schistosomiasis research hub in Kumasi. The HDP study will assess female genital schistosomiasis, hepatic dysfunction, metabolic abnormalities, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The CRC study will investigate associations with colorectal cancer through clinical, biomarker, and endoscopic evaluations. Together, these efforts will generate translational evidence to inform clinical practice and policy in sub-Saharan Africa.
 

ISARIC 3.0: Strengthening the global clinical research ecosystem for epidemic and pandemic prevention and preparedness (ISARIC 3.0-WELLCOME)

Summary of Project Aims: The relevance of this grant is to support the project titled: “ISARIC 3.0: Strengthening the Global Clinical Research Ecosystem for Epidemic and Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness” by conducting annual training sessions under the theme: “Clinical Research During Outbreaks (CREDO)”. The award is to serve two purposes: CREDO training and Project Management of the CREDO training.

Collaboration for Research, Training and Implementation in Critical Care in Asia and Africa. (CCAA)

Summary of Project Aims: The main aim of this study is to integrate critical care services in Ghana into an international research network that facilitates high-quality studies and helps identify effective interventions for improving outcomes in critically ill patients. 

Support to the lnternational Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging infection Consortium (lSARlC) 3.0" – ISARIC 3.0- FCDO

Summary of Project Aims: This grant is to serve three purposes: CREDO training, Project Management and IPOPS (Improving Patient Outcome Plan). This has the same objectives of ISARIC 3.0 – Wellcome

IPOPS

Summary of Project Aims: This programme of work covers the development phase for a filovirus and an mpox Improving Patient Outcome Plan (IPOP). The programme sets out to produce filovirus and mpox IPOP proposals for Executive Board review, and conduct preparatory work including: 
• Landscape analysis
• Identification of the clinical problem 
• Identification of relevant target interventions 
• Proposed evaluation pathway 
• PPIE embedding 
• Availability and affordability mechanisms 
• Collaborative opportunities 
• PhD opportunities
 

Epidemiology and assessment of health systems capacity to detect and manage schistosomiasis in urban communities in the Ashanti region of Ghana (Urban Schisto)

Summary of Project Aims: To determine the epidemiology and assess the capacity for the detection and management of schistosomiasis in urban areas in Ashanti region.

A phase II clinical trial investigating the potential of two oral drugs to act as new snakebite therapies against venom from the viperid family of snakes (TOCSINS)

Summary of Project Aims: The main aim of this grant is to provide scientific and clinical input to protocol development and trial design for the TOCSIN trial in Ghana.

Seroprevalence of Marburg Virus Infection and other WHO-priority pathogens in Three (3) Countries in Africa (ALERRT PLUS)

Summary of Project Aims: The primary objective of this study is to assess prior exposure to Marburg Virus (MARV) infection in the general population across three African countries by detecting circulating IgG antibodies. In addition, the study seeks to estimate the force of infection (FOI) for MARV,a measure of the risk of infection and the level of pathogen circulation, which can provide insights into the overall burden of MARV infection and disease. The study, conducted under the ALERRT Consortium through the Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research Group, is scheduled to run over a 12-month period. Active recruitment is currently ongoing in the three participating countries: Cameroon, Guinea, and Uganda.

The Platform Adaptive Randomised Trial for NEw and Repurposed Filovirus treatmentS trial (PARTNERS)

Summary of Project Aims: This project tasks GHID with responsibilities under the PARTNERS trial focus on co-leading its work Package 2 (PPIE), delivering national and regional engagement activities, and supporting ethics/regulatory submissions.