This week, two new clinical research sites in Maksegnet, and Agaro, in Ethiopia were officially inaugurated. The sites, affiliated with the Universities of Gondar and Jimma, respectively, were built from scratch with MMV support and today include inpatient/outpatient and laboratory facilities to enable the conduct of clinical trials of next generation medicines to international ICH standards.

Patient and staff transport capacities as well as the technical expertise of staff has been strengthened at each of the sites, with researchers receiving training in Good Clinical Practice as well as advanced diagnostic and laboratory techniques. By bringing high-quality malaria research closer to the people most affected these sites will help improve the quality of care they receive and support the long-term sustainability of research projects.

“The work we have done together to bring this site to inauguration is just the beginning, as a building is only the shell for the work that goes on inside,” said Sylvie Fonteilles-Drabek, MMV General Counsel and Executive Vice President, representing the organisation at the inauguration. “The care of the patients at this facility, as well as the data that is generated is held within the trust of a large international community that is working toward a common goal—to find and develop the antimalarial medicines that will keep all of our communities safe from this deadly disease. MMV is proud to have been involved in the construction and establishment of these sites.”

Together with the technical support of the MMV team, the creation of these sites was made possible thanks to the generous support of MMV donors: the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research through KFW and the principality of Monaco. In collaboration with the University of Vienna, financial support was also provided by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.  

MMV aims to continue to create sustainable capacity for malaria research in Ethiopia and other endemic countries, building a base for the next generation of researchers to develop the next generation of medicines.