Partners

The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) is the largest public health research institution in Tanzania. It serves as the research arm of the Tanzanian Ministry of Health with the role of providing scientific evidence that will improve health outcomes and services to the country and stakeholders worldwide. NIMR has a total of 7 research centres and 7 stations throughout the country each having its strength and capacity in specific disease areas (https://nimr.or.tz).

NIMR-Mbeya Medical Research Centre (NIMR Mbeya) is one of the 7 centers of NIMR located in the Mbeya region in Southwestern Tanzania. The Centre was established through a longstanding partnership with the Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine of the University of Munich in Germany, in collaboration with the Mbeya Regional Medical Office, Mbeya Referral Hospital, and the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP). The centre was initiated in 1995 and integrated into the Tanzanian health system as a Research center of NIMR in 2008. NIMR Mbeya has diversified its activities with optimal use of its technical infrastructures but remained focused mainly on tuberculosis, HIV, and neglected tropical diseases. The centre is well supported by Internationally accredited state-of-the-art laboratories (i.e. TB lab, and Safety and Immunology lab), and a dedicated research pharmacy. The centre is internationally recognized for its extensive capacity and experience in clinical trials, diagnostic evaluation studies, and implementation research studies. NIMR Mbeya has established a strong link with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health. In particular, the centre works very closely with the National TB and Leprosy Programme (NTLP), the National AIDS, STIs, and Hepatitis Control Programme (NASHCoP), and other health programmes within the Ministry of Health providing support in designing and conducting research studies that respond to National health priority needs.

Research activities at the NIMR Mbeya Centre are divided into different thematic areas/working groups within the Research Programme Schedule. The Paediatic HIV working group led by Dr. Issa Sabi, has a track record of working in diagnostic studies, implementation research, and operational research focusing on therapeutic and preventive strategies for HIV in children. This dates back to the BABY study, HOPE study, LIFE study, and now the LIFE2Scale study.

The National Institute of Health (INS) of Mozambique is a public body responsible for managing, regulating and supervising activities related to the generation of scientific evidence to ensure better health and well-being of the Mozambican people.

The INS is a legal entity with administrative, technical, and scientific autonomy, and it undertakes its activities throughout the national territory.

INS is led by a general directorate and is composed of four national directorates and 6 provincial delegations in Maputo City, Sofala, Nampula, Tete, Zambézia and Cabo Delgado, as shown in the figure below.

INS plays a crucial role in promoting and protecting the health of populations through innovations, by working to prevent the spread of and reduce the burden of diseases, alongside the Ministry of Health and other relevant stakeholders.  

The Director of the INS is Prof. Dr. Eduardo Samo Gudo

Click here for more information about the INS (in Portuguese only).

The Beira Operational Research Center (CIOB) is a unit of the Sofala Provincial Delegation that carries out research, surveillance, and training activities in Sofala and Manica provinces. The CIOB is one of the oldest research center of National Institute of Health in Mozambique and has experience in operational and implementation research, community and clinical trials and surveillance. It is headed by a Director and the scientific area is coordinated by a Scientific Director.

It is located in central region of the country, Sofala province, Beira city, Correia de Brito street nº 1323, Ponta Gea neighbourhood, at the same ground as Ponta Gea health facility

The LMU University Hospital Munich is a centre of high-end medicine, medical innovation and research. With its two campuses in Grosshadern and in the city centre, it is one of the largest hospitals in Germany and Europe. Every year, around 500,000 patients are treated in 29 specialist clinics, twelve institutes from seven departments, and 50 interdisciplinary centres throughout Munich.

The Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine is one of these centres which serves not only patients in Germany but also supports healthcare services for patients in low- and middle-income countries, with particular focus in sub-Saharan Africa. Led by Prof. M. Hoeslcher, the Division was established through collaborations and close research partnerships continuing to this day in Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, The Gambia, and Uganda. The mission of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine is to improve prevention and treatment of infectious and tropical diseases. It aims at achieving this goal through clinical research, translation of evidence into improved services and policies, and transfer of knowledge.

The Division is further divided into research groups, one of which is the HIV, Co-infection and Vaccine Studies research group led Prof. Michael Hoelscher and Dr. med. Arne Kroidl. 

Click here for more information about the HIV research group (in German only).

The Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology/Virus Host Interactions (CIMI) works on infections of importance both in the UK and overseas and encompasses diseases in adults and children, respiratory and gastrointestinal disease, as well as HIV, sepsis and emerging zoonotic infections. Front line techniques and technologies are harnessed including NGS, -omics analysis, imaging, animal models of infection and clinical trials, to address the correlates of importance in disease and immune protection.

The Group of Virus Host Interactions (VHI) at the University of Liverpool (UoL) headed by Prof. Bill Paxton, who studied at the University of Glasgow, the Imperial College London and the University of Leiden (the Netherlands). He undertook his postdoctoral work at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Centre, Rockefeller University, New York City. Prof. Georgios Pollakis studied at the Free University of Brussels (ULB). Subsequently he worked at New York University (NYU) before joining the HIV-1 Amsterdam Cohort studies virology team to study HIV-1 molecular correlates of transmission under the umbrella of the Ethiopia Netherlands Research Program (ENARP) and the Amsterdam Cohort Studies (ACS). Both joined the University of Liverpool in 2013 and since studying virus host interactions, focusing on pathogens causing pandemics (HIV-1, Ebola, HCV and SARS-CoV2). Our objective is to elucidate biological processes and dissect mechanisms crucial for virus transmission as well as disease status. Our interest is directed to studies elucidating the role of the humoral immunity in preventing infection and/or disease with particular focus on HIV-1 mother-to-child transition documented by our studies in Rwanda and the work proposed in the LIFE2scale project and within the context of broader molecular studies of transmitted viruses such as resistance to antiretroviral medication.

The department (CIMI) is headed by Prof. Aras Kadioglu and the VHI group is led by Prof. Bill Paxton and Prof. Georgios Pollakis.

Click here for more information about the CIMI department.

IUEM is a university institution located in Almada, Portugal, that offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in various fields, including Health Sciences, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Biomedical Sciences, and Nursing. The university aims to provide high-quality education and research opportunities in health-related disciplines. The institution is known for its emphasis on practical training and clinical experience, often through partnerships with healthcare facilities and institutions in Portugal. It strives to prepare students for professional careers in healthcare and related fields, fostering a strong sense of academic excellence and ethical responsibility. The iMed - Research Institute for Medicines is a research institute affiliated with the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. It is dedicated to conducting cutting-edge research in the field of pharmaceutical sciences, with a major focus on drug discovery, development, and optimization.

The HIV evolution epidemiology and prevention group (HEEP) studies the disease burden, epidemiology, drug resistance, and evolution of HIV, HCV, and HBV, and occasionally other viruses such as yellow fever virus, adenovirus, and SARS-Cov-2. Disease burden studies are conducted as part of the Global and Local Burden of Disease Injuries and Risk Factors Study of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, USA. Molecular epidemiology, evolution and drug resistance studies rely on sequencing of all or parts of the viral genomes and subsequent phylogenetic, phylodynamic and phylogeographic analysis of the sequences. Drug resistance studies help HIV clinicians to monitor adherence to antiretroviral therapy and offer the best therapeutic regimens to their patients.

In parallel, in collaboration with medicinal chemistry groups, we design, develop and/or evaluate in vitro and in vivo in various animal models HIV vaccine candidates, microbicides and antiviral drugs. 

The HEEP group leader is Prof. Nuno Taviera.

Click here for more information about iMed and HEEP lab.