Clinical trials

Arboviral diseases are viral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus and are constantly spreading throughout the world, constituting a significant threat to public health. In Africa, there is very little data on the epidemiological situation of Aedes-borne diseases and programs for monitoring these diseases are very limited. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), several epidemics of yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika cases have been reported. In particular, in Kinshasa, the dengue and chikungunya viruses have previously been detected in patients with undifferentiated fevers and several studies have shown entomological transmission indices above the criteria and standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). The aim of our study is to implement and evaluate different strategies to control Aedes mosquitoes at different stages of their life cycle in the city of Kinshasa. In particular, a before-and-after interventional study will be piloted and tested in the health zone of Kinshasa, with the aim of providing preliminary evidence of the impact of vector control tools. Interventions will be implemented in 400 households for each arm for 12 months. Before, after and during the interventions, entomological surveys will be conducted in 160 households in each arm to define the density of the vectors. Mosquitoes will be tested for the possible presence of arbovirus RNA (dengue, chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever). During the pre-intervention period, a serological survey for the same diseases transmitted by the Aedes mosquito will be conducted on a sample of 450 people included in two health centers of reference for the health zone of Mont Ngafula 1. A questionnaire will also be administered before and after the intervention implementation to assess the community's knowledge, attitudes and practices towards Aedes mosquito vector control and Aedes-borne diseases. The integration of the data collected within the scope of this study will provide an assessment of the feasibility and impact of the tested methods on entomological indicators, as well as determining the exposure and knowledge of Aedes-borne diseases in the Mont Ngafula 1 area.

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study which aims to assess the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity after one and two doses of BNT166a or placebo in healthy participants.

This study addresses knowledge gaps regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on evaluating the feasibility of AMR surveillance and enhancing local research capacity. Conducted at a general referral hospital in semirural Kinshasa, DRC, the study will investigate bacterial infections, their resistance profiles, and related risk factors, including co-infections such as malaria.

FS2 evaluates the diagnostic accuracy and implementation feasibility of an AI-assisted blind-sweep obstetric ultrasound (SPAQ E-con AI), operated by trained non-specialist health workers, for antenatal screening in rural Democratic Republic of the Congo. Primary outcomes are gestational age mean absolute error (Trimester 2 and Trimester 3) with 95% confidence intervals and AI confidence calibration. The reference standard is manual measurement by a reference reader (early ultrasound first; manual BPD if unavailable; last menstrual period is not used). Target enrollment is approximately 1,430 (IRB-approved ceiling 3,000), with early termination permitted upon achievement of pre-specified analysis-plan thresholds. The study is a multi-center prospective Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness-Implementation design and includes a pre-specified adaptive model-update (Batch 2 cut) plan following FDA PCCP and STARD-AI guidance.

CHIME is a randomized, parallel-arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial focused on infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The trial will recruit neonates who are diagnosed with HIE within six hours after birth based on physiologic criteria (acidosis noted on an umbilical cord or early \[\<1 hour\] postnatal blood sample) and neurologic criteria (modified Sarnat exam consistent with encephalopathy). Following informed consent, and by six hours after birth, neonates with HIE will be randomized to one of two treatment arms and subsequently receive one 20 mg/kg dose of oral caffeine followed by two additional 10 mg/kg doses at 24-hour intervals or placebo of the same regimen (three total doses). The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the incidence of all-cause mortality OR moderate to severe neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18-22 months between neonates with HIE who are randomized to oral caffeine or placebo. Our hypothesis is that neonates with HIE who receive oral caffeine will have 10% lower incidence of all-cause mortality or moderate to severe NDI at 18-22 months compared to placebo.

The objective of this prospective paired diagnostic comparison study is to evaluate the diagnostic yield and field applicability of SDS-EDTA-treated chromatography paper strips for the collection, transport, and laboratory detection of mpox virus compared with the routine swab-based sampling method under field conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The study is conducted among patients with suspected mpox infection presenting to healthcare facilities in South Kivu, DRC. For each participant, paired samples are collected simultaneously using the standard swab method and the SDS-EDTA strip method. Samples are analyzed using locally available molecular diagnostic platforms.

Skin-related Neglected Tropical Diseases (Skin NTDs) affect about 1.8 billion people worldwide, particularly in poor and rural communities where healthcare access is limited. Many people rely on frontline health workers (FHWs) for treatment, but these workers often lack specialized training in skin diseases, making diagnosis difficult. To address this challenge, the SkincAIr project is testing whether a mobile app powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can help FHWs improve their ability to detect Skin NTDs. The study will be conducted in two arms. In the first clinical image data collection arm (36 months), dermatologists in 5 countries (Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria) will collect images of skin NTD and other skin conditions that will be used for development and training of the AI model within the SkincAIr app before it is tested among FHWs. The second validation study arm will take place in 3 countries (Kenya, Ethiopia and Senegal), and will involve 50 FHWs and around 750 patients in each country over 24 months. During the first 12 months (Phase A), FHWs will diagnose patients using standard methods without the app, establishing baseline performance on key indicators including diagnostic accuracy, time to diagnosis, referral patterns, and cost implications of improved primary-level diagnosis. For the following 6 months (Phase B), FHWs will use the SkincAIr app with AI functionality activated to support diagnosis and enable real-time geolocated disease mapping and hotspot identification. In the final 6 months (Phase C), the app is withdrawn to assess whether FHWs retain their improved diagnostic skills. We will summarize the results using simple numbers and charts to show how often things happen and what the average results look like. Researchers will evaluate how well the app improves diagnosis by FHWs and whether FHWs retain their improved skills even after AI support is removed, by comparing their results with those of a skin specialist (dermatologist). Interviews and group discussions will be recorded, written down, organized into key ideas, and carefully reviewed using a computer program to understand the main themes. Study findings will be shared with National Ministries of Health, presented at local and international conferences, and reported to relevant institutional and regulatory authorities. If successful, this AI tool could boost early detection of skin diseases, enhance disease tracking, and improve healthcare in underserved areas.

This study is being done to learn more about the disease in Ituri and to evaluate a new rapid test that may help doctors find the disease more quickly. This research includes characterisation of clinical presentations and pathology of plague, as well as identification of circumstances that may increase the risk of infection. Biological samples collected include blood, mouth swab, saliva, a bubo aspirate and a sputum sample (the latter only in case of plague in the lungs). These samples will be used to test the performance of the new rapid study test.

As the survival of children with retinoblastoma in high income countries is higher than 95% including the bilateral forms this study hopes to improve the outcome in low income countries in Africa by improving early diagnosis and early implementation of this protocol of therapeutic recommendations for treatment.

This is the 4th LMB study by the French African Pediatric Oncology Group (GFAOP). The study hopes to be able to evaluate children earlier with stage I and II disease and to evaluate treatment response earlier so that the units can decide if a change in treatment is necessary, it is also hoped to provide an intensification of treatment for the stage IV disease.

The study is based on results form 2 previous studies carried out by the GFAOP. The aim of this study is to evaluate the capacity of units to follow the recommendations in the protocol.

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the impact of malaria vaccination on the risk of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella disease in children below the age of 5. Eligible participants residing in the Kisantu Health Zone (DRC) and presenting fever are enrolled in healthcare facilities and tested for malaria and iNTS. Using a case-control (test-negative) design, the researchers will look at the malaria vaccination status of participants with and without iNTS infection to determine if the malaria vaccine protects against iNTS.

EBO-PEP is a multicentre, multi-epidemic, phase III, comparative, controlled, randomised, strict superiority trial in two unblinded parallel arms. The trial will be open during EVD epidemics and will recruit asymptomatic participants at high risk of developing EVD. Participants will be randomized (1:1) into one of two trial arms: * Arm 1 (ERV): Ervebo D0 (72 million PFU IM) * Arm 2 (ERV+IMZ): Ervebo D0 (72 million PFU IM) + Inmazeb IV (150 mg/kg) D0 + Ervebo D56 (revaccination) Definition of high-risk: Direct contact with a person with EBOV PCR-confirmed EVD with diarrhea, vomiting or external bleeding ("wet symptoms"), or with their body fluids; Direct contact with the dead body of a person with confirmed or probable EVD; Needlestick with a syringe contaminated by the blood of a person with confirmed or probable EVD; Or a child born to or breastfed by an individual with EVD Trial follow-up All participants are monitored daily for a minimum of 21 days. Some visits are conducted in person at the investigation site, also called the Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) center: * at Day 5, Day 10, and Day 21 for the ERV arm, * at Day 5, Day 10, Day 21, and Day 56 for the ERV+IMZ arm. Other visits are conducted at home or by phone, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health's surveillance team. Participants in the ERV+IMZ arm have an in-person visit at Day 56 to be revaccinated with the Ervebo vaccine to compensate for potential inhibition of the vaccine response when Ervebo is administered simultaneously with Inmazeb. Participants in the ERV arm have a phone visit at Day 56. For all participants, a phone visit is scheduled at Day 60. It corresponds to the last visit for all trial participants. Follow-up in Case of Hospitalisation In case of clinical signs suggestive of EVD, participants enter the suspected case management pathway at the Ebola Treatment Center (ETC). If EVD is confirmed by EBOV PCR, participants are allowed at the ETC, and their study samples are discontinued. They continue to be followed by the research team, and daily data are collected throughout their stay at the ETC until they are discharged alive or deceased. The day of discharge from the ETC marks the end of follow-up in the study for these participants. Of note, participants in the ERV+IMZ arm who have confirmed EVD are not revaccinated at day 56. Of note, participants in the ERV+IMZ arm who have confirmed EVD are not revaccinated at day 56. If EVD is not confirmed, participants continue to be followed up by the PEP center according to the protocol.

This study, Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Pregnancy in Low- and Middle-IncomE Countries (ABLE), is designed as a 2-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) focused on pregnant individuals and newborn infants. A positive outcome of this study will contribute to global progress toward WHO Sustainable Development Goal Target 3.2 \[End preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age\] by examining the potential impact of this practice to reduce the incidence of SVN/SB and the lifelong health consequences associated with SVNs. In addition, the study will further explore the role and potential benefits of antibiotic treatment of AB in the pregnant individual. In total, 1,134 eligible participants, or approximately 162 per research site, will be randomized in the trial by the research teams in each of the seven international sites that, together with their United States of America (US) partners, participate in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD's) Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research (GN).

The primary purpose of this population-based study is to quantify and understand the trends in pregnancy outcomes in defined low-resource geographic areas over time, in order to provide population-based data on stillbirths, neonatal and maternal mortality.

The epidemiology and outcome of febrile illnesses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is poorly documented. The FIKI² study, a prospective observational study of community-acquired febrile illnesses coordinated by ITM and INRB and conducted at 2 clinical sites from 2021 to 2023, has deepened the knowledge of clinical presentation, etiology, outcome and profile of inflammatory/infectious biomarkers (white blood cells and C-reactive protein, or CRP). The management of febrile illnesses remains fraught with clinical challenges. Overuse of antibiotics in primary care remains a reality in the field, and has been observed in several studies, including FIKI². A number of initiatives are underway to address this problem, such as the use of biomarkers, the development of treatment guidelines and electronic decision support systems. The FIKI² study highlighted the potential role of CRP in rationalizing antibiotic use. In parallel, the 'AWARE antibiotic book' was published at the end of 2022 by the WHO, providing recommendations on the choice (or otherwise) of antibiotic therapy for over 30 common clinical infections, in both primary care and hospital settings. Based on the results of the FIKI² study, the main aim of the FI-CARE study is to investigate the impact of these new tools (CRP biomarker, AWARE antibiotic book, and electronic decision support systems) on first-line antibiotic use. Secondly, the study will consolidate previous results from FIKI² sites in terms of monitoring the etiologies of community-acquired febrile illnesses (particularly arboviruses); and reinforce this monitoring at new sites (depending on opportunities). This complementary study will also pursue FIKI²'s strategic objectives of strengthening clinical research capacity and consolidating biobanks in the DRC. FI-CARE is a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study of adults and children presenting to the emergency department or outpatient clinic with community-acquired febrile illness. A laboratory component with sample storage in a biobank is added in a modular fashion according to laboratory and research capacities, epidemiological interest and available funds.

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether a dietary supplement based on Tenebrio molitor (mealworm flour) can improve nutritional status and biomarkers of micronutrient deficiency in children aged 2-10 years. The main questions it aims to answer are: • Does regular supplementation with Tenebrio molitor flour improve chronic malnutrition status Researchers will compare the intervention group (children receiving Tenebrio molitor flour supplement) with the control group (children receiving a traditional maize-soy flour supplement) to assess differences in biochemical and anthropometric outcomes after the intervention period. Participants will: * Participate in baseline and follow-up anthropometric and blood sample assessments (hemoglobin, albumin, zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin B12, prealbumin). * Consume a daily dietary supplement (either Tenebrio molitor flour or maize-soy flour) for the duration of the intervention. * Provide information on dietary intake and general health status through structured questionnaires administered by the research team.

The first objective of our study is to develop a theory-driven evidence-based targeted water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) intervention for household members of diarrhea patients in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through formative research and community engagement. The second objective is to conduct a randomized controlled trial of 2,320 household members of 580 severe diarrhea patients to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed targeted WASH intervention in terms of: 1. reducing diarrheal diseases household members of cholera and severe diarrhea patients; and 2. increasing WASH behaviors.

The ultimate aim of this registry is to collect precise information concerning the children coming to oncology units working with the French African Oncology Group. This data will help to plan and provide correct pediatric oncology treatment and care for this population. Collecting the data will give much needed information on numbers, stage, treatment and outcome. The register will give data for local and national health authorities in planning pediatric cancer programs.

This is a health facility-based prospective test-negative (TND) case-control study to evaluate vaccine effectiveness and active safety monitoring (cohort event monitoring), and passive surveillance for evaluation of the safety of the LC16m8 mpox vaccine in individuals aged one year and older in the DRC. This study aims to assess the LC16m8 vaccine effectiveness and safety. The following activities will be carried out: * Community engagement * Enhanced health facility-based mpox disease surveillance * Vaccination using the LC16m8 vaccine * Safety monitoring following immunization * LC16m8 Vaccine effectiveness evaluation using a TND Study Hypothesis: The LC16m8 vaccine, administered as pre-exposure prophylaxis, confers greater than 70% protection against symptomatic mpox disease among adults and children in the DRC.

This study is a multi-country and multi-site project to estimate the point-prevalence of high-risk (HR) HPV genotype infections among representative samples of girls and women aged 9-50 years, and among specific sub-populations to estimate the incidence of persistent HPV infection among sexually active young women. The data to fulfill the objectives will be collected through a series of Cross-Sectional Surveys (CSS) and Longitudinal Studies (LS) in all 8 countries 3 South Asian countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and 5 sub-Saharan African countries including Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia and DR Congo. Qualitative sub-studies (QS) will be conducted in selected countries and populations following the CSS to further understand and unpack risk factors for HPV infection as well as to explore how gender-related dynamics including perceptions of gender norms and stigma, influence HPV burden and/or create barriers that shape girls/women access to and uptake of HPV prevention, screening, and treatment services. Specific study protocols and corresponding ethical applications for the qualitative sub-studies will be developed separately.

This study aims to better understand how mpox is spreading in the DRC, how it affects different groups of people, and how well vaccines protect against it. The study is designed as a cross-sectional survey, meaning researchers will collect and analyze data from patients diagnosed with mpox at a single point in time. It will also use a case-control approach, comparing people who test positive for the virus to those who test negative, to identify risk factors and evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine.

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to investigate whether individuals in DRC previously vaccinated with Zabdeno/Mvabea® or Ervebo® vaccine schedules against Ebola virus can be safely and adequately boosted with homologous or heterologous vaccine schedules. Participants will be randomized to receive either a homologous or heterologous vaccine schedule and will be asked to come to the clinic at prespecified timepoints over a period of 6 months to collect blood samples for comparison of immunological responses against Ebola virus between both schedules. Safety and tolerability of the vaccines will be evaluated by recording Adverse Events (AE's) and grading physical and vital signs evaluations.

The zinc monoterpenoid tetra-ascorbo-camphorate possesses broad-spectrum anti-viral properties in vitro, particularly against HIV, HSV and HPV. Its C14 formulation could be a promising candidate for in vivo clinical evaluation as a potential microbicide or therapeutic drug. The aim of this clinical trial is to determine whether C14 is effective in reducing the genital viral load of HR-HPV and in treating low-grade dysplastic lesions of the cervix. It will also determine the tolerability of C14. The main questions to be answered by the clinical trial are as follows: Does C14 reduce the genital HR-HPV viral load in participants with persistent HR-HPV infections? What medical problems do participants experience when taking C14? Researchers will compare C14 to a placebo (a similar substance that contains no drug) to see if C14 is effective in reducing genital C14 viral load and in treating low-grade dysplastic lesions of the cervix. Participants will receive four monthly treatments (5ml of C14 dissolved in distilled water administered twice daily \[morning and evening\] for seven days via vaginal syringe during the follicular phase) of C14 or placebo for 4 months and visit the clinic once every 2 weeks for examinations and tests. They will keep a diary of their symptoms and the number of times they keep the hospital appointment.

This project aims to fill this essential knowledge gap by assessing the impact of oral cholera vaccine mass campaigns in 2 sites (urban and rural) in DRC, described in this protocol. The evidence generated from this project will be key to develop future strategies regarding cholera vaccine use in endemic settings, including places with higher burden in terms of cholera mortality.