Tropical Disease Foundation Selected as Site of TB Trials Consortium
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA announced the 2010-2020 TB Trials Consortium (TBTC) Rebid Awards on 18 September 2009. The Tropical Disease Foundation (TDF), Makati City, Philippines was one of twenty study sites in 10 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe welcomed by the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE), CDC. The TDF is affiliated with the TB Research Unit, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA with John Johnson, MD as the Principal Investigator.
The TB Trials Consortium (TBTC) is a collaboration of clinical investigators on the prevention and treatment of TB, funded by the CDC. The mission of the TBTC is to conduct programmatically relevant clinical, laboratory and epidemiologic research concerning the diagnosis, clinical management, and prevention of tuberculosis infection and disease.
According to Dr. Johnson:
“It is a privilege to work with the TDF. The TDF has an outstanding international reputation for their many contributions to the care of patients with TB, to TB control in the Philippines and to the care of patients with MDR-TB. TBTC will benefit much from having TDF as a trial site.”
“Becoming a TBTC site is an excellent opportunity for TDF and its young investigators to become part of the best TB trials networks, as it brings together strong investigators with expertise in different areas of TB including laboratory, clinical trial design, pharmacokinetics, drug resistant TB, preventive therapy and others. It has good central data management at CDC Atlanta, has the excellent reputation and the credibility of the CDC behind it. In particular, it has a clear focus on improving treatment for patients and programmes.”
Over the next ten years, TDF will receive research funds for various clinical trial studies, capacity building of its medical and research staff, and improvements in the diagnostic capabilities of its TB laboratory. TDF initially partnered with Case Western Reserve University’s TB Research Unit headed by Henry Boom, MD in 2004 when it became one of its international clinical sites for TB treatment shortening studies.
More information on this news and on the TBTC may be obtained at https://www.tbtrialsnetwork.org/tbtc/newz .
Posted by admin on September 28th, 2009 under News & Events