Development of sustainable research excellence with a global perspective on infectious diseases: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Gabon

TY - JOUR

T1 - Development of sustainable research excellence with a global perspective on infectious diseases: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Gabon

AU - Ramharter, Michael

AU - Agnandji, Selidji T.

AU - Adegnika, Ayôla A.

AU - Lell, Bertrand

AU - Mombo-Ngoma, Ghyslain

AU - Grobusch, Martin P.

AU - McCall, Matthew

AU - Kreidenweiss, Andrea

AU - Muranaka, Riko

AU - Velavan, Thirumalaisamy P.

AU - Esen, Meral

AU - Schaumburg, Frieder

AU - Alabi, Abraham

AU - Druml, Christiane

AU - Mordmüller, Benjamin

AU - Köhler, Carsten

AU - Kremsner, Peter G.

N1 - Funding Information: In 1992 Peter G. Kremsner, who had been affiliated with the Institute for Tropical Medicine in Berlin and later became Professor for Tropical Medicine, Travel Medicine and Human Parasitology at the University of Tübingen, Germany, was appointed Scientific Director of the International Foundation of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital. A new building with modern laboratories was inaugurated in 2006, which considerably boosted improved clinical and laboratory research capacity. Increases in projects, staff and funding made the department internationally recognized with an impact beyond the hospital’s healthcare activities (Fig. ). In 2011, this research department finally became legally independent, and became the Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL). Since then, CERMEL has kept on expanding its scope by participating in internationally funded research programs and became an international medical research hub with more than 200 national and international staff members. Main funding sources are the European Union (EU), especially with its European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDTCP), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, prominently via the German Center for Infection Research and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Besides these funding organizations, several mid-term to long-term research programs were conducted with funding from international drug developers and non-profit organizations such as Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). In addition, strong Gabonese national support was given by provision of generous infrastructure. Funding Information: Clinical research on neglected tropical diseases (NTD) has been CERMEL’s research agenda since the 1990s with focus on Schistosoma haematobium, intestinal helminths, filarial and parasitic coinfections [–]. Studies assessing the burden of parasitic infections among pregnant women and children were performed [–]. Recently, a comprehensive disease burden of Loa loa, the African eye worm, was conducted to illustrate the clinical spectrum of the disease for the first time in Central Africa []. Interventional studies of repurposed drugs or alternative drug regimens for several neglected tropical diseases were performed, such as an assessment of the efficacy of albendazole to treat Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworm []. Similarly, mefloquine was evaluated as a potential alternative treatment for urogenital schistosomiasis in pregnant women []. Currently, innovative sequential treatment protocols for loiasis are being assessed. Additional studies investigating the influence of helminth infection on vaccine immunogenicity were conducted and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the European Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership [–]. Projects to investigate the impact of helminth infections on pregnancy and birth outcomes are ongoing. Funding Information: In 2014, in part due to the active support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the CERMEL became one of the first centres in Africa to perform CHIM. This study was to assess the effect of naturally acquired immunity and of sickle-cell trait on susceptibility to infection and disease []. This study demonstrated CERMEL’s capacity to stem the intensive logistical and clinical management, aseptically formulating an inoculum and providing continuous high-level diagnostic laboratory support. This led to follow-up studies using CHIM in malaria to assess efficacy of the malaria vaccine candidate GMZ2 [] and whole cell immunization approaches (ongoing) by repeated infection of healthy adult Gabonese volunteers. The portfolio of CHIM has recently been extended to hookworm infections (Necator americanus). Funding Information: A close collaboration with universities in Libreville and Franceville/Masuku, together with its recognition by African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES) has made CERMEL a regional tertiary education centre. Through a cooperation with the Gabonese national programs for malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and neglected tropical diseases, CERMEL largely contributed to improve health care for the Gabonese population. As a founding member of the Central African Clinical Research Network (CANTAM)—a network of excellence funded by the European Developing Countries Clinical trial Partnership—CERMEL has increasing responsibilities in the research landscape of the Central African subregion. Firmly embedded in African and international academic networks, CERMEL thus became known as a reliable academic partner institution in the international landscape of clinical research []. Publisher Copyright: © 2020, The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/5

Y1 - 2021/5

N2 - Medical research in sub-Saharan Africa is of high priority for societies to respond adequately to local health needs. Often enough it remains a challenge to build up capacity in infrastructure and human resources to highest international standards and to sustain this over mid-term to long-term periods due to difficulties in obtaining long-term institutional core funding, attracting highly qualified scientists for medical research and coping with ever changing structural and political environments. The Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL) serves as model for how to overcome such challenges and to continuously increase its impact on medical care in Central Africa and beyond. Starting off as a research annex to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon, it has since then expanded its activities to academic and regulatory clinical trials for drugs, vaccines and diagnostics in the field of malaria, tuberculosis, and a wide range of poverty related and neglected tropical infectious diseases. Advancing bioethics in medical research in Africa and steadily improving its global networks and infrastructures, CERMEL serves as a reference centre for several international consortia. In close collaboration with national authorities, CERMEL has become one of the main training hubs for medical research in Central Africa. It is hoped that CERMEL and its leitmotiv “to improve medical care for local populations” will serve as an inspiration to other institutions in sub-Saharan Africa to further increase African capacity to advance medicine.

AB - Medical research in sub-Saharan Africa is of high priority for societies to respond adequately to local health needs. Often enough it remains a challenge to build up capacity in infrastructure and human resources to highest international standards and to sustain this over mid-term to long-term periods due to difficulties in obtaining long-term institutional core funding, attracting highly qualified scientists for medical research and coping with ever changing structural and political environments. The Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL) serves as model for how to overcome such challenges and to continuously increase its impact on medical care in Central Africa and beyond. Starting off as a research annex to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon, it has since then expanded its activities to academic and regulatory clinical trials for drugs, vaccines and diagnostics in the field of malaria, tuberculosis, and a wide range of poverty related and neglected tropical infectious diseases. Advancing bioethics in medical research in Africa and steadily improving its global networks and infrastructures, CERMEL serves as a reference centre for several international consortia. In close collaboration with national authorities, CERMEL has become one of the main training hubs for medical research in Central Africa. It is hoped that CERMEL and its leitmotiv “to improve medical care for local populations” will serve as an inspiration to other institutions in sub-Saharan Africa to further increase African capacity to advance medicine.

KW - Capacity development

KW - Gabon

KW - Medical research

KW - Neglected tropical diseases

KW - Sub-Saharan Africa

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098671208&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s00508-020-01794-8

DO - 10.1007/s00508-020-01794-8

M3 - SCORING: Review article

C2 - 33398458

AN - SCOPUS:85098671208

VL - 133

SP - 500

EP - 508

JO - WIEN KLIN WOCHENSCHR

JF - WIEN KLIN WOCHENSCHR

SN - 0043-5325

IS - 9-10

ER -