Multilateral Initiative on Malaria

	For more information contact Director, NIMR Tanga Centre, P.O. Box 5004, Tanga, Tanzania Telephone: 255 27 26 46084 Fax: 255 27 26 43869 E-mail: tanga@nimr.or.tz Website: www.nimrtanga.org
National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Tanga Medical Research Centre

Background
The Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) was established by Act of Parliament No.23 of 1979 and became operational in October 1980. NIMR is a parastatal under the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare. Tanga Medical Research Centre (NIMR Tanga) is one of the 5 NIMR Centres in the country. Prior to becoming an operational Centre, NIMR Tanga was operating as a Field Station and then as a Research Station known as Bombo under the NIMR Amani Centre until August 2005. Bombo Research Station, which was mainly doing research on filariasis continued to work under the supervision of Amani Centre until Tanga Centre became fully operational in September 2005, when most research activities were shifted from Amani in the East Usambara Mountains to Tanga, a city along the north-eastern coastline. Tanga Centre is situated adjacent to Bombo Regional Hospital. Most of the laboratory activities are carried out in a new modern laboratory known as the Amani Biomedical Research Laboratory (AMBRELA). Tanga Centre is managed by a Director appointed by the NIMR Council.

Amani Biomedical Research Laboratory (AMBRELA): Front view

Staff
Tanga Centre has around 58 permanent staff members of whom 15 are research scientists, eight (8) laboratory technicians, four (4) laboratory assistants, eight (8) laboratory attendants and one Information Technology Technician. There are about 62 project staff working in Korogwe, Muheza, and Tanga.

Departments
Currently, the Centre has 5 scientific departments: Biochemistry, Immunology, & Molecular Biology; Epidemiology & Clinical Research; Medical Parasitology & Microbiology; Health Systems & Policy Research, and Information Technology & Medical Documentation.

Photos from AMBRELA in Tanga

General Laboratory

Lab technician with HPLC machine

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Ongoing Research Projects
A Phase IIb randomized, double-blind, controlled study of the efficacy against episodes of clinical malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum infection of GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals’ candidate vaccine RTS,S/AS01E, administered intamuscular according to a 0, 1, 2-month vaccination schedule in children aged 5 months to 17 months living in Tanzania and Kenya.
Project duration: 2006 to 2008
Principal Investigators: Lorenz von Seidlein & John Lusingu.
Sponsors: Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), GlaxoSmithKline and Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance (MCTA)

Malaria and Health in Northern Tanzania
Project duration: 2006-2008
Principal Investigators: Thor Theander, Martha Lemnge, Raimos Olomi
Sponsor: DANIDA/ENRECA

Epidemiology of Malaria Morbidity and Immunity in Communities with Different Malaria Transmission Intensity in North-eastern, Tanzania
Project duration: 2006-2008
Principal Investigators: Thor Theander, Martha Lemnge
Sponsor: DANIDA/ENRECA

Malaria morbidity and immunity in children and pregnant women in north-eastern Tanzania.
Project duration: 2006-2008
Principal Investigators: John Lusingu and Thor Theander
Sponsor: DANIDA/ENRECA & GMP

Surveillance of in-vivo and in-vitro sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial drugs and the relationship to molecular markers of drug resistance in Tanzania.
Project duration: 2007-2009
Principal Investigator: Deusdedith Ishengoma
Sponsor: DANIDA/ENRECA

Spatial variation in malaria risks in a small area with different transmission intensities, north-eastern Tanzania.
Project duration: 2007-2009
Principal Investigator: Bruno Mmbando
Sponsor: DANIDA/ENRECA

Assessment of the ability of antibody reagents with specificity against PfEMP1 vaccine candidates to recognize the surface of infected erythrocytes from young children and pregnant women
Project duration: 2007-2009
Principal Investigators: Pamela Magistrado, John Lusingu
Sponsor: Gates Malaria Partnership (GMP)

Intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in infants in an area with high resistance to sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine: an evaluation of short and long-acting antimalarial drugs.
Project duration: 2004 to 2008
Principal Investigators: Daniel Chandramohan, Martha Lemnge, Frank Mosha, Brian Greenwood
Sponsor: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Cost effectiveness assessment of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of malaria in infants (IPTi) in areas of high and low to moderate malaria transmission
Project duration: 2006-2008
Principal Investigators: Samwel Gesase, Roly Gosling, Paul Masika
Sponsor: BMGF

Efficacy of sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine and chlorproguanil/dapsone in 6-59 month old children with uncomplicated malaria and how it relates to efficacy of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of malaria in Infants- A study linked to the Kilimanjaro IPTi study.
Project duration: 2006-2007
Principal Investigators: Samwel Gesase, Jacklin Mosha, Roly Gosling
Sponsor: BMGF

Establishment and strengthening of site for malaria vaccine trials in Korogwe District, north-eastern Tanzania.
Project duration: August 2005-December 2007
Principal Investigator: Martha Lemnge
Sponsor: The African Malaria Network Trust (AMANET)

MalariaGEN Consortial Project 2: Multi-centre study of immune gene polymorphisms that determine antibody production to malaria antigens. This is linked to AMANET supported and ENRECA projects in Korogwe as well as completed EPIMAP activities in Muheza.
Project duration: 2006 to 2008
Principal Investigator: Martha Lemnge
Sponsor: MalariaGEN Grand Challenges Programme at Oxford University

A multi-centre open label randomised comparison of injectable Artesunate and quinine in patients with severe falciparum malaria in Africa. Synonym: The Africa Quinine versus Artesunate in Severe Malaria Trial.
Project duration: 2006-2008.
Principal Investigators: Samwel Gesase and Lorenz von Seidlein
Sponsors: Wellcome Trust Bangkok Unit.

High performance liquid chromatographic methods development for analyses of antimalarials in biological fluids.
Project duration: 2006-2008.
Principal Investigators: Martha Lemnge, Harparkash Kaur, Ib Bygbjerg.
Sponsor: GMP

Home management of malaria with Coartem in Pangani, Tanga, Tanzania
Project duration: 2006-2007
Principal Investigators: Julius Massaga, Vivien Barongo, Mathias Kamugisha
Sponsor: WHO/TDR

Cost-effectiveness of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria in Muheza and Korogwe, districts, Tanga, Tanzania
Project duration:
Principal Investigators: Julius Massaga, Mathias Kamugisha
Sponsor: WHO/TDR

Malaria morbidity and immunity in children admitted in Bombo Hospital, Tanga Tanzania. Project duration: 2007-2008.
Principal Investigator: John Lusingu.
Sponsor: Ministry of Health & Social Welfare (MoH&SW) and DANIDA/ENRECA.

Targeting on the values of “Wolbachia endosymbionts” as novel feasible anti-filarial chemotherapeutic approach to prevent/reduce/clear clinical disease in LF and interrupt transmission endemic communities of Tanzania.
Project duration: 2006-2008
Principal Investigator: Williams Makunde
Sponsor: VW Germany

Epidemiology of opportunistic infections and the assessment of clinical performance of ARVs (HAART) herbal medicine known to halt progression of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.
Project duration: 2006-2007
Principal Investigators: Williams Makunde, Mathias Kamugisha
Sponsor: CDC

The pattern of human immunological and genetic factors on Plasmodium falciparum malaria in an area of high and moderate malaria transmission intensities, Muheza district, northeastern Tanzania. Subproject under EPIMAP project.
Project duration: 2005-2007
Principal Investigator: Method Segeja
Sponsor: MoH&SW

Monitoring efficacy of Artemether plus Lumefantrine and Amodiaquine plus Artesunate for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in children aged 6-59 months at some sentinel sites in Tanzania.
Project duration: 2006-2009
Principal Investigators: Martha Lemnge and Johannes Kataraihya
Sponsor: NMCP under the MoH&SW

Human monoclonal antibodies as tools for malaria research and therapy (Acronym: HUMALMAB). The proposed research is linked to ENRECA project and was initiated early 2007
Project duration: 2007 to 2008
Principal Investigators: John Lusingu, Lars Hviid
Sponsor: 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission.

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New Grants/Projects
A double blind, randomized, controlled, dose escalation phase Ib field trial in 12 to 24 month old children in Korogwe, Tanzania to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein-3 Long synthetic peptide (MSP 3) adjuvanted in aluminium hydroxide versus Hepatitis B vaccine.
Principal Investigator: John Lusingu.
Sponsor: AMANET

Expression of variant surface antigens in children and mothers with different malaria syndromes in north-eastern Tanzania. Principal Investigator: John Lusingu.
Sponsor: GMP

Backup with Combivir (AZT/3TC) or single dose Truvada (FTC/TDF) for PMTCT.
Principal Investigators: Terese Katzestein and Martha Lemnge.
Sponsor: EDCTP

Interactions between ACTs for malaria and ARVs for HIV/AIDS in co-infected patients in Muheza, NE Tanzania.
Principal Investigators: Lasse Vestergaard, Martha Lemnge, Ib Byggbjerg.
Sponsor: BMGF.

Networking
NIMR Tanga networks with AMANET, the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM), INDEPTH/MCTA, MalariaGEN, MVI, GSK, LSHTM, CMP and KCMC.

Future outlook: To consolidate clinical, biomedical, and epidemiological research in Korogwe and Tanga