Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025291 (Oral 002) | Published: 07 Aug 2025
Mohammed Nakodi Yisa1,&, Derick Kimathi2, Ahmed Cherno Futa1, Mohammadou Siribe2, Armel Zemsi1, Lobga Galega1, Gibbi Sey1, Florian Marks2, Anthony Huszar2, Ed Clarke1, Birkneh Tadasse2
1Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea
&Corresponding author: Mohammed Nakodi Yisa, Vaccines and Immunity Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Email: Mohammed.yisa@lshtm.ac.uk
Received: 31 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 07 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lassa fever, clinical trial, Africa, capacity building, epidemic preparedness
©Mohammed Nakodi Yisa et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Mohammed Nakodi Yisa et al., Strengthening regional clinical trial capacity for Lassa fever: Lessons from a multi-country site assessment in West Africa. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00002. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO5-00002
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies Lassa fever as a priority pathogen due to its escalating burden and geographic spread, exacerbated by climate change and population growth. To accelerate vaccine development, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) launched the Advancing Research Capacity in West Africa (ARC-WA) project. Co-led by the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia (MRCG) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), this initiative aims to strengthen the region’s ability to conduct high-quality clinical trials for Lassa fever and other outbreaks.
Potential sites were identified through clinical trial registries, expert consultations, and feasibility questionnaires. These were followed by on-site visits to assess site capacity across key focus areas including infrastructure, laboratories, data management, regulatory compliance, community engagement, and financial governance. Sites were then ranked against predefined criteria to and costed proposals developed.
We evaluated 36 clinical trial sites across five Lassa-affected countries (Nigeria: 13, Liberia: 4, Sierra Leone: 5, Benin: 5, Guinea: 9). Some sites had strong existing capacity, including trained staff, functional IT systems, and effective communication structures. However, many exhibited a variety of critical gaps. These included limited epidemiological data necessary for Phase 3 trials, inadequate infrastructure in clinical units and emergency care, unreliable power supply, and underdeveloped ethics committees. Additionally, several institutions had limited experience with financial governance, highlighting a critical area of need to support effective research fund management.
Our findings highlight key barriers to trial readiness: inadequate infrastructure, weak regulatory systems, weak financial governance, and limited epidemiological data. Addressing these challenges will require targeted capacity-building, regulatory support, and sustained investment in laboratories and emergency care. These insights form the basis for a framework to enhance site preparedness, strengthen clinical trial capacity, and support more effective epidemic response across West Africa.
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