JOHANNESBURG, 1 DECEMBER 2020 - The Aurum Institute has been awarded a seven-year grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) to drive the scientific agendas of two NIH HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks: the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) and the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). The CTU will implement multi-centre studies that could help accelerate progress in finding new HIV and TB prevention and treatment options as part of a comprehensive epidemic response.
“Despite our major successes in scaling up treatment and ongoing prevention programmes, there are still large numbers of people being diagnosed HIV every year. There is still a lot of work to be done and clinical trial units and clinical research sites play an essential role. By virtue of being selected by the NIH, the Aurum Institute has proved that it is qualified and committed to take part in an endeavour of such global importance,” said CTU Principal Investigator and Aurum Group CEO Prof Gavin Churchyard.
Team of experienced individuals
The Aurum CTU brings together a team of experienced individuals that will conduct cutting-edge clinical HIV and TB prevention and treatment research in a wide variety of high- and low-risk populations from geographically diverse settings for the next seven years. Some of these clinical trials will be designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of HIV treatment and preventive vaccines and evaluate novel TB prevention and treatment strategies.
This grant provides funding for two well-established clinical research sites in Klerksdorp and Rustenburg to participate in the HVTN and ACTG Networks, respectively. The Aurum CTU will be provided with core funding for up to seven years to help deliver on its mandate.
All the clinical research sites within this CTU have deep roots in their communities, including strong relationships with community stakeholders, health providers, and experienced Community Advisory Boards.
“We have been planning and preparing for this CTU for a number of years now. We made every effort to establish world class clinical research sites that have a wealth of on-site capabilities,” said CTU Chief Operating Officer and Aurum’s Regional Chief Operating Officer: Research, Dr Vinodh Edward.
The Aurum Institute would like to congratulate the other CTUs that were awarded both in the USA and internationally. For additional information about the NIH-funded HIV clinical trials networks and CTUs, see: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-announces-restructured-hiv-clinical-trials-networks
For more information contact Kanya Ndaki, 0832986100
About Aurum
Established in 1998, the Aurum Institute is an African Health Impact Organisation whose mission is to improve the health of people and communities living in poverty through innovation in global health research, systems and delivery. It is rooted in Africa and is dedicated to researching, supporting and implementing innovative, integrated approaches to Global Health. Its headquarters are in South Africa with offices in the USA, Ghana, Lesotho and Mozambique. The Aurum Institute has developed itself into a leader in the field of TB and HIV, bridging the worlds of research, policy and implementation for impact.
