Leshmaniasis in East Africa Platform
LEAP, the Leishmaniasis in East Africa Platform, is a regional clinical research network that brings together experts from leishmaniasis-endemic East African countries.   With Dr. Monique Wasunna serving as coordinator, the platform incorporates partners from across the spectrum of clinical research and disease control organisations/institutions working in leishmaniasis in these countries.

LEAP serves to strengthen clinical research capacity, which is lacking in part due to the remoteness and geographic spread of the patients (most of whom are in the most impoverished regions of Africa). This platform also serves as a base for ongoing educational cooperation between the countries in the East African region and standardisation of procedures and practices within the region, as far as is possible within the confines of local regulations. LEAP projects are carried out as collaborative efforts.

LEAP Happenings at DNDiAfrica in Nairobi
Over 50 attendees from 7 countries at the LEAP meeting officially welcomed Uganda as the 4th member country. Uganda representatives at the meeting included Professor Olobo from Makerere University.

Numerous training sessions - for data safety monitoring, laboratory safety, Good Clinical Practice, Serious Advent Event Reporting, and a parasitology refresher - were successfully concluded. Francis Crowley, Director-General of the Good Clinical Practices Alliance in France, commended the organizers for good practices during the initial phases of the phase III clinical trial investigating paramomycin.



There was a report on the large multi-centre trial investigating paromomycin (approved this month in India) for VL in Africa. With a dose escalation agreed upon at this LEAP meeting, enrollment will soon begin with 4 sites in 3 countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan).
Published by Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative - 1 Place St Gervais 1201 Geneva Switzerland - Photo credits: DNDi
Editor: Ann-Marie Sevcsik - Tel: +41 22 906 9230 - Fax: +41 22 906 9231 - www.dndi.org