Strengthening Partnerships for Malaria Elimination: PATH Team Visits KHRC

February 8, 2024 | News Feed | Reading time: 4 min

The Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) this week welcomed a team from the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), Dr. Megan Littrell, Program Director and Mr. Taj Munson, Program Finance Director. The visit was aimed to gain better understanding of how a clinical trial led by KHRC is being carried out.

The clinical trial titled, “The Impact of a Combination of the RTS,S/AS01E Malaria Vaccine and Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention In Ghanaian Children (MalVac PMC),” seeks to evaluate whether a combination of Malaria Vaccine (MalVac) and Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention (PMC) given to children in Ghana can further reduce malaria cases and deaths. The visit also sought to deepen collaboration between PATH, one of the funders of the MalVac PMC trial, and KHRC.

From Monday, 3rd to Friday, 7th February 2025, the PATH team visited KHRC to learn more about the trial’s implementation activities, data management and financial systems, and explored ways to provide additional support for successful project implementation. During the visit, the KHRC team delivered a detailed presentation on the study’s progress and other research projects at the Centre. The team toured the Centre’s facilities including the clinical laboratory, the data science department and trial clinic. The team also visited the study site to observe trial activities, interact with study participants and engage with community health workers supporting the trial.

Dr. Littrell revealed that the MalVac PMC trial is the largest study funded by her outfit and expressed excitement over KHRC’s research impact and the progress made in malaria prevention.

Prof. Kwaku Poku Asante, Director of KHRC, expressed gratitude to PATH for their continued support. He revealed that after successfully implementing the RTS,S malaria vaccine trial, which is currently part of the routine immunization programme in Ghana, KHRC sought new research opportunities, leading to its involvement in the MalVaC PMC trial. He acknowledged the trust placed in KHRC by the funding partners, adding that, “collaborations should be built on trust, mutual respect and faith in one’s ability to deliver.”

The MalVac PMC trial is a three-year study being conducted in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and implemented in the Atebubu-Amantin Municipality of the Bono East Region of Ghana, where malaria is prevalent. If successful, this trial could shape global malaria prevention strategies. KHRC and its collaborators, including PATH, are contributing to malaria control efforts, and continuously working towards eliminating malaria in Africa.

For more information on the MalVac PMC trial project:

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