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WANETAM

  • +221-77-620-76-04
  • communications@wanetam.net
  • West African Network for Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria
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About WANE

About Us

WANETAM

WANETAM was established in 2009 through the support of EDCTP

About

About WANETAM

West Africa remains challenged by the heavy death toll related to poverty-related diseases such as HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria and other Neglected Tropical Diseases. Recognising these challenges and the need to proffer sustainable solutions for the sub-region, the West African Network for Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM) was established in 2009.

As one of the Networks of Excellence supported by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) WANETAM seeks to combat poverty-related diseases in line with the International Conference on Harmonisation Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP). As a consortium, the network currently has a membership of 25 institutions from 12 West African countries and 5 institutions from 4 European countries.

WANETAM 1

Background

WANETAM was established in 2009 through the support of EDCTP. The first phase of the network’s operation was implemented from 2009 to 2014. This included 14 institutions from seven countries.
The network was further strengthened within the last two years by the contribution of EU member-states (Belgium and UK) initiated research project (WANETAM-plus), which ensured the inclusion of other African institutions, such as Benin.

Objectives

The targeted general objectives of WANETAM 1 were: To promote capacity building & technology transfer to prepare West African institutes for the successful conduct of clinical trials. To create a network for sub-regional scientific collaborations.

Achievements

At the end of WANETAM 1, the network registered major achievements including:Created a collaborative research network of scientists from Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone countries in West Africa.

  • Supported short-term trainings that built both laboratory and clinical skills in the field of HIV, Malaria, and TB as well as in cross cutting disciplines, in view to support proficiency in clinical research including TB  and HIV molecular diagnostic techniques, high-throughput molecular research

techniques, immunological flow cytometry and multiplex assays, GCLP and GCP, Laboratory Equipment Maintenance skills, Ethics training, community support and engagement.

  • MRCG in The Gambia and the RARS in Senegal developed their own clinical trial Units and attained laboratory accreditation ISO 15189 (KENSA/ML/30 for MCG; IQMH/3355 for LBV) while supporting sister institutions to develop their own capacities.
  • MRCT in Mali built a strong and efficient system of accreditation (Guindo A…Doumbo ATMH 2012)

  • Supported long-term academic training through MScs for early and mid-career scientists and researchers within the sub-region.
  • Facilitated hands-on surveillance training on multi-drug resistance, establishment of normal values of haematological and biochemical parameters in African subjects, and antimalarial drug resistance monitoring including molecular markers.
  • Supported the development of Biomedical Maintenance and Engineering Units at some sister institutions.

Institutions

WANETAM 2

Background

Building on the achievements registered and lessons learnt in WANETAM 1, WANETAM 2 was implemented from 2017 to 2020. This phase included 16 institutions from nine West African Countries and four institutions from Europe

Objectives

WANETAM 2 was aimed at attaining sustainable expertise for conducting clinical trials, research and implementing control of poverty related diseases in West Africa

Achievements

At the end of WANETAM 2, the following are some of the achievements that were registered: Strengthened targeted trainings on strategic skills including the training of 12 Project Managers coming from 12 partner institutions to support clinical trials and other clinical research within the region.

  • Developed the shared use of platforms and resources.
  • Supported 2 laboratories to obtain ISO 15189 accreditation.
  • 10 auditors across the network Certified CQI-IRCA ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditors.
  • Developed a training and mentorship plan to support career and leadership development of talented individuals.
  • One ICH-GCP-compliant clinical trial on Control Human Malaria Infection (CHMI) Trial was implemented in The Gambia and resulted in a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The study also provided the opportunity to train a young scientist from Burkina Faso on clinical trials.
  • The TB work package demonstrated active collaboration and coordination by publishing a policy paper on the impact of Covid-19 on TB patients and TB control program.
  • The childhood TB work stream successfully formed a sub-network, the West African Paediatric TB Network (WApTBNet), comprising researchers, clinicians, laboratory scientists, and national TB programme officers with focused interest in childhood TB. Building upon the multi-disciplinary platform of the WANETAM TB Work Package, the WApTBNet designed and implemented a multi-country clinical research study that is pragmatically investigating the diagnostic accuracy of “Xpert Ultra” assay, and the epidemiology of drug-resistant TB, in prospectively recruited children with presumptive TB from five WANETAM institutions across four countries.

Institutions

Organisational Structure