Working to Strengthen Local Research Capacity

The research, training and care centre of the University of North Carolina based at the Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe deserves a pat on the back, especially looking at the commendable contribution of the organization towards the health sector in the country on HIV/AIDS related biomedicine, one of which being the initiative called The Lighthouse.

The UNC Project is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health & Kamuzu Central Hospital, the HIV Prevention Trials Network & AIDS Clinical Trials Network of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) worldwide; the College of Medicine in Blantyre, the University of Witwatersland in Johannesburg, South Africa, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (NIH).

It aims at identifying innovative, culturally acceptable and relatively inexpensive methods for reducing the risk of HIV and STI transmission through research. It also aims at strengthening local research capacity through training and technology transfers and the improvement of patient care capacities.

Through its confidentiality, professionalism, commitment, excellence and integrity, the UNC Project has instilled a corporate culture of teamwork to reach common acceptable goals.

UNC Project Country Director, Dr Francis Martinson says since the inception of the project in Malawi in 1999, a lot of studies have been completed.

"We have completed studies on the effect of metronidazole (commonly known as Flagyl) on the cure rate of urenthritis in men, Nanoxynol-9 study, Pharmacokynetic study comparing the bio-equivalent of Triomune with patented drugs, the Intestinal Parasite study, the effect of antibiotics to treat choriamnionitis on HIV Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT), HIV Immunity and Anti-Retroviral Therapy operations," says Martinson.

He further says the project has several on-going research studies on Breast feeding, ART and Nutrition to determine the best method to help reduce the HIV MTCT in a predominantly breast feeding population; Nevirapine resistance, microbicides acceptability to identify and explore from a variety of perspective, the relationships and factors likely to affect acceptability and use of vaginal microbicides if and when they become available; discordant couples study which seeks to assess the effect of ARV therapy on the prevention of HIV transmission among discordant couples and the Fertility intention study which seeks to determine the prospective fertility intention of women on learning their HIV status through Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT).

"We are also conducting a randomised clinical trials to evaluate effectiveness of current syndromic management of Genital Ulcer disease (GUD), clinical trials to compare three different ARV regimens in ARV naïve patients, clinical trials to determine if Nevirapine given to mothers as a single dose for PMTCT has an effect on the success of ARV therapy and the Cellular Immune Response study which seeks to understand the meaning of HIV specific cellular response in a high prevalence population.

The Country Director has all reason to smile as he looks back to 1999 when the idea of introducing the now famous Lighthouse came.

"It was then that government agreed to establish a clinic to specifically deal with cases related to HIV and AIDS. So a Lighthouse Trust was established headed by Malawi Government's Ministry of Health and UNC Project," he says.

The Lighthouse is currently famous for its services to the HIV/AIDS infected and affected people such as Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and the dispensation of antiretroviral drugs. However, most of these services are successful with the support services from UNC project and funding from National AIDS Commission (NAC).

According to Martinson, about 30 per cent of the staff at the Lighthouse is still under the UNC Project and all patients coming to the Lighthouse for other tests like CD4 Count are sent UNC Project Laboratories.

Dr Francis Martinson is a Ghanaian who came to Malawi in 1999 and established the research project under the University of North Carolina.

He is now happy to have a good structure that has all facilities including a resource centre, laboratory and the brainchild - the Lighthouse.

He says the resource centre is open for reference to those looking for information especially relating to their fields of study.