Our portfolio consists of more than 40 running projects run by nine highly skilled and capable project managers.
The EpiGen Ethiopia project brings together a multi-disciplinary consortium of institutions from Ethiopia, engaged in national public health programs, and partners from the European Union. This collaborative initiative is designed to bolster Ethiopia’s national efforts in combating the threat of infectious diseases. By implementing a genomics-informed surveillance system, EpiGen aims to play a crucial role in enhancing public health strategies, not only within Ethiopia but also in the broader region.
The primary goal of the EpiGen Ethiopia project is to develop and strengthen the capacity for an integrated pathogen genomic surveillance system that can inform public health decision-making.
2023 Updates
1. A Successful Project Kickoff in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was hosted by local partner Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI).
2. The EpiGen Ethiopia team joined ISGlobal's Summer School Module on Biomedical Data Science and Machine Learning.
3. EPHI was in the process of setting up new laboratories to accommodate the project's intended goals.
This comprehensive approach not only addresses immediate healthcare needs but also lays the foundation for long-term improvements in public health across the region.
The DI-DIDA project, “Digital Innovations and Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases in Africa,” focuses on developing low-cost, mobile phone-connected diagnostic tools to detect multiple diseases simultaneously in sub-Saharan Africa.
The project has three main pillars: enhancing diagnostics through DNA and molecular sensor technology, improving research capacity in Africa, and integrating socio-economic studies to ensure the adoption of these innovations. The initiative also includes training PhD students to support the region’s healthcare infrastructure and disease control efforts.
In 2023, the DI-DIDA project made significant progress, including the addition of the University of Reunion Island as a partner to enhance research on zoonotic diseases. The project was also featured on BBC World Service’s “Tech Life” podcast, highlighting its impact on disease detection in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, DI-DIDA was presented at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78), emphasizing the importance of digital innovations in global health.
The Stool4TB project focuses on improving the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in children and people living with HIV (PLHIV) by evaluating a new stool-based qPCR diagnostic method. This approach addresses the challenges of TB diagnosis in these vulnerable groups, particularly due to difficulties in obtaining sputum samples and the low bacterial load in these patients. The project aims to provide a non-invasive, accurate diagnostic alternative that can be implemented widely to enhance TB detection and treatment outcomes.
In 2023, the Stool4TB project achieved several milestones. The Eswatini team successfully enrolled 100 adult participants, and the second Annual Consortium Meeting was held, where major progress was shared, including ongoing Phase 1b clinical trials in Ghent. Makerere University also hosted its second Community Advisory Board Meeting, furthering engagement with local communities. These updates highlight the project’s steady progress in developing a non-invasive TB diagnostic tool, especially for children and PLHIV.
We also presented some initial findings at The Union World Conference on Lung Health, Feasibility and acceptability of stool-based TB diagnostic perspectives from healthcare providers in Manhiça District, southern Mozambique
The H-TEAM (HIV Transmission Elimination AMsterdam) is a collaborative initiative focused on eliminating new HIV infections in Amsterdam. Founded by Prof. Dr. Joep Lange, the H-TEAM combines research, prevention, and care to tackle HIV. The team works on innovative strategies, including early detection, rapid treatment initiation, and targeted prevention efforts among key populations. Prof. Lange’s pioneering vision continues to inspire the team’s efforts to make Amsterdam the first city to eliminate HIV transmission.
In 2023, H-TEAM launched a new targeted HIV reduction campaign which used social behavioural research to accurately pinpoint target sub-groups within Amsterdam. Done in collaboration with Mantotman, the campaign was finished in 2023 and shared across social media apps commonly used by target sub-groups. Launched in time for Pride Amsterdam, the campaign is now being evaluated on its effectiveness to see how their findings can contribute to future research on HIV transmission across the globe.
"Amir and Joris", The Last Mile Campaign, Mantotman and H-TEAM
"Ben and Juan", The Last Mile Campaign, Mantotman and H-TEAM
The ROTA-Biotic project investigates the impact of rotavirus vaccination (RVV) on antibiotic use, microbiome composition, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in children under two in Zambia and Ghana. By leveraging the ongoing PATH trial, the project aims to provide evidence on how RVV can reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions and AMR. The study focuses on quantifying antibiotic usage and analyzing the infant microbiome and antimicrobial resistance gene carriage, with the goal of informing policy changes to combat AMR in low-income settings.
ROTA-Biotic Updates in 2023
The ROTA-Biotic project joined the annual GLORIA Consortium meeting which was held at the tail end of 2023 at Vakwerkhuis Delft. They shared progress updates to the project including some of the findings from the team based in Zambia. A major publication by one of the project's researchers focused on the AMR knowledge gap in Low- and Middle-income countries, signalling the importance of conducting further research to dissect and fully grasp the status of antimicrobial resistance and its spread and influence over public health within the Global South.
Project IMPALA focuses on improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations in Africa through innovative research and sustainable interventions. The project seeks to address key health challenges, including infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and nutrition, by integrating scientific research with community-based approaches. IMPALA aims to create scalable and sustainable health solutions that can be implemented across diverse African contexts, ultimately contributing to better health outcomes and reduced health inequalities.
Project Updates
In 2023, Project IMPALA has made significant progress, including launching new health initiatives focused on maternal and child health and expanding research partnerships across Africa. Their research was presented at 2023's European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health where they shared some initial findings about the IMPALA system.
They also held their 3rd consortium meeting in Malawi, focusing on the use of intelligent algorithms and novel biomarkers to help increase the survivability of babies.
WHO-PEN@Scale
Strategic Themes
- People-centred Health Systems and Policies
- Understanding the Social Determinants of Health
Supported by a grant from the European Commission (Horizon 2020), the WHO-PEN@Scale consortium undertook a comprehensive programme of research around the decentralization of diabetes and hypertension services to primary care facilities in Eswatini. With the close involvement of the country’s Ministry of Health, the consortium included partners from across Europe and Eswatini. Collaborating with other project partners, particularly the University of Eswatini, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and the University of Heidelberg, AIGHD’s contribution was focused in two areas: 1) examining the implementation and acceptability of the WHO-PEN interventions and 2) understanding co-morbidities and syndemics related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Eswatini. The latter component used mixed methods, including advanced epidemiological analysis on the main study’s survey data to identify comorbidities having syndemic potential and in-depth life-history interviews with people suffering from these comorbidities to understand syndemic vulnerability.
The project was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and was modified in response to the expedited decentralization of care for NCDs that Eswatini’s Ministry of Health initiated during early stages of the pandemic. We were however able to draw several lessons from studying the implementation and acceptability of rapid scale-up. The possibility to access care for NCDs was generally valued by clients, who could now avoid long queues in hospitals and travel costs to the urban centres. Challenges included shortages in essential medicines and equipment, which not only affected provision of care, but also had wider financial impacts and could undermine healthcare workers’ relationships with clients and affect treatment seeking.
Analysis of data from the various study components is still underway, but several policy briefs have already been presented to Eswatini’s Ministry of Health. AIGHD’s work on co-morbidities and syndemics underlined how people with NCDs very often experience additional health complaints, including mental health conditions, with reported ill health pronounced among those who live alone. Recommendations include strengthening the integration of care for these different conditions in primary care.
Our Project Portfolio
This is a list of currently running projects at AIGHD. Take note that this list is not exhaustive. If you wish to learn more about the projects such as their principal investigators, partner organization, points of implementation, and the project manager(s), please check out our website: www.aighd.org.