Joint Clinical Research Centre

JCRC - MRC CTU Research Collaboration

Since 2003, JCRC has enjoyed healthy collaborations with CTU MRC and has implemented several clinical trials, some of which are detailed below:

The DART (Development of Antiretroviral Therapy for Africa) trial: This was a multi-site double-blind randomized clinical trial implemented between 2003 and 2009 at four clinical sites: JCRC Kampala in Uganda; Medical Research Council, Entebbe in Uganda; Infectious Diseases Institute, Kampala Uganda and at the University Teaching hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe. The study enrolled 3316 patients with a major objective of determining the best approach to roll-out antiretroviral in Africa. Results of this study have been published.
The ARROW (Antiretroviral Research for Watoto) trial. Implementation of this clinical trial commenced in 2006 and is still ongoing. The objective of this multi-site randomized double-blind clinical trial is to discover the most optimal approach to rolling out antiretroviral therapy among children in Africa. The study is being implemented at JCRC Mengo, Baylor college, Kampala and University teaching hospital in Zambia. Three substudies have been conducted under this trial: The pharmacokinetics of liquid and scored tablets of ZDV, LMV and ABV and of twice and once daily dosing of ABV and LMV scored tablets of HIV infected African Children; Lypodystrophy Syndrome and Metabolic Abnormalities in African Children and Adolescents on Antiretroviral Therapy; and The Use of CD4% Computational Estimates as an Alternative Method for Pediatric Immune Monitoring.
The CHAPAS-3 (Children with HIV in Africa - Pharmacokinetics and Acceptability / Adherence of Simple Antiretroviral Regimens) Trial. This Clinical trial commenced in 2010 and is being implemented among at three African sites: JCRC Kampala, Uganda; University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka Zambia and Baylor college of Medicine, Kampala Uganda.
The CHAPAS-2 (A Randomised Trial to Determine the Pharmacokinetics and Acceptability of Ritonavir-boosted Lopinavir in Sprinkle and Tablet Formulation for Treatment of HIV Infected Children in Africa) Trial. This study is about to start enrolling at the peadiatric clinic of JCRC.
The PENTA 16 - Breather trial - A short cycle therapy (5 days on/2 days off) in young people with chronic HIV infection. This clinical trial is at the approvals stage, and will soon be enrolling at the JCRC Kampala site.
The EARNEST (A Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate Options for Second-line Therapy in Patients Failing a First-line 2NRTI + NNRTI Regimen in Africa) Trial. This is a partnership between 8 African clinical research sites and 6 European organizations funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Programme (EDCTP) and European national research funding agencies. Since Nov 2009, the network has been conducting a definitive clinical trial to indentify the best antiretroviral therapy for HIV positive individuals who need to switch antiretroviral therapy in a resource-limited setting. The trial will enroll 1200 patients in 3 African countries - Malawi, Uganda and Zimbabwe. JCRC Kampala is the coordinating site for this trial.
Aluvia Pharmacokinetic Protocol/Pharmacokinetics of Lopinavir/Ritonavir (Aluvia) during co-administration with EFV and NVP in Ugandan HIV-Infected Adult patients. This was conducted as a laboratory-based Pharmacokinetics study in 2007 at the JCRC Mengo. Results from this investigation have also been published.