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EDCTP Update | February 2026 | | Promising new vaccine shows strong protection against diarrhoeal diseases in young children | | A promising new vaccine, ETVAX, has shown highly encouraging results in a phase IIb clinical trial in The Gambia. Targeting enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), a leading cause of diarrhoeal disease in young children in low- and middle-income countries, ETVAX could significantly reduce moderate-to-severe diarrhoea in infants and young children and improve both short- and long-term health. | Togo and Switzerland join the EDCTP Association | Togo and Switzerland are the newest members of the EDCTP Association. Togo’s membership, approved on 3 February, brings the total number of African member countries to 32. Switzerland, which had participated as an aspirant member since 2014, has now transitioned to full membership, increasing the number of European member countries to 16. Switzerland’s membership was approved on 24 February. | Ghana becomes first country to approve new combination treatment for worm infections | Ghana has become the first country to approve a new fixed-dose combination of ivermectin and albendazole to combat soil-transmitted helminths, a common parasitic infection in Africa. In December 2025, the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority granted a milestone regulatory approval for this single-pill treatment, paving the way for its use in real-world clinical care and public health programmes. The approval was secured through the Global Health EDCTP3-funded STOP2030 project and it follows strong evidence from the EDCTP2-funded ALIVE trial, which showed that the combination is as safe as standard albendazole yet significantly more effective against whipworm infections. | 2026 Info Days: Global Health EDCTP3 call for proposals | |
To support applicants preparing proposals for the 2026 Global Health EDCTP3 calls, a series of information sessions was organised. On 5 February 2026, Global Health EDCTP3 held an Info Day to present the calls for proposals under the 2026 Work Programme and to provide guidance on developing strong project proposals. The session recording and materials from the Info Day are now available on the Global Health EDCTP3 website.
On 25 February 2026, the EDCTP Association hosted an online webinar on the two CSA Global Health EDCTP3 calls based on lump sum funding. The session gave potential applicants an opportunity to learn about the application process for the CSA calls, key considerations for their submissions, and how the lump sum funding model works. It also presented what the Association can offer when acting as a project coordinator. Find out more information about this session.
| Acoziborole Winthrop receives European Medicines Agency positive opinion as three-tablet, single-dose treatment for most common form of sleeping sickness | The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has granted a positive opinion to Acoziborole Winthrop (acoziborole), developed by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and Sanofi, as a single-dose oral treatment for both early- and advanced-stage gambiense sleeping sickness in adults as well as in adolescents 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms. EDCTP2 is supporting another study, under the ACOZI-KIDS project, in the DRC and Guinea, which is investigating Acoziborole Winthrop for the treatment of children aged 1 to 14 years. | | bEto-TB: phase IIa tuberculosis trial results published in New England Journal of Medicine | | A letter in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights the results of the phase IIa trial conducted under the bEto-TB project, which demonstrated the first clinical proof of concept for alpibectir in combination with ethionamide (AlpE) for the treatment of patients with tuberculosis. | | MMVC: New malaria vaccine clinical trials begin in Burkina Faso | | |
In September 2025, vaccinations began at the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé – Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro (IRSS-URCN), Burkina Faso, for two clinical trials of blood-stage malaria vaccine candidates R78C and RH5.1 with Matrix-M. These vaccine candidates are being tested in combination with the liver-stage R21/Matrix-M vaccine.
Initiated as part of the EDCTP2-funded MMVC project and sponsored by the University of Oxford, with co-funding and support from the European Vaccine Initiative, the studies aim to provide proof-of-concept for a multi-stage malaria vaccine that could extend protection against malaria by targeting two stages of the parasite’s life cycle and support future elimination efforts.
| | INTEGRATION: Leveraging community platforms to improve malaria prevention in pregnancy | | The INTEGRATION project evaluated an innovative approach in Mali and Burkina Faso by delivering malaria prevention for pregnant women through existing community SMC platforms. Early results from this cluster-randomised trial show promising gains in IPTp coverage and antenatal care attendance in some settings. Read the full article to find out more about the project’s findings. | | | Revive-IPTp contributes to national policy and practice for malaria prevention in pregnancy in Kenya | Malaria in pregnancy remains a serious threat in Kenya, but new evidence from the Revive-IPTp project in Kisumu and Migori shows how strengthening policy, training health workers, and expanding community-based services can increase uptake of preventive treatment, boost antenatal care attendance, and reduce malaria in pregnancy. Led by Population Council Kenya with national and county partners, the project’s findings are already informing national guidelines, offering a model for scaling up malaria prevention in pregnancy across the country and beyond. | Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium Annual Meeting | The final consortium meeting of the ADOPT project took place from 25-27 February 2026 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The meeting brought together the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium members, with partners and funders, EDCTP and GHIT Fund, to discuss the practical experiences and lessons learned in introducing a pediatric formulation to treat schistosomiasis in endemic settings. The consortium reflected on and celebrated their partnership over the past decade, whilst planning their strategy to make this paediatric medicine available and accessible to children in Africa and in other endemic regions. Dr Pauline Beattie, Operations Manager and Scientific Adviser at the EDCTP Association, participated in the meeting. | | Prof. Novel Chegou elected as fellow of the African Academy of Sciences | | Prof. Novel Chegou, EDCTP Senior Fellow and Acting Head of the Division of Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, has been elected as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. This important achievement recognises his scientific leadership and impactful research on tuberculosis, particularly his work on biomarkers to improve diagnosis and patient care in resource-limited settings. | | Dr Tuelo Mogashoa becomes first TAGENDI PhD graduate | | Botswana-born scientist Dr Tuelo Mogashoa, a PhD Fellow in the ‘Addressing Gender and Diversity Regional Gaps in Clinical Research Capacity’ (TAGENDI) programme, has successfully defended her PhD in Molecular Biology (Tuberculosis Genomics) at Stellenbosch University. Her virtual oral examination, held on 12 January 2025, marked the culmination of years of research and training. | | |
EDCTP is a member of Europe PMC. This enables EDCTP-funded researchers to share their publications via one central location. Sharing publications by EuropePMC also ensures compliance with EDCTP grant requirements to make publications openly accessible as soon as possible. Submit your manuscript through Europe PMC Plus.
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Maternal and Child Health Journal: Lessons Learned from Community Contact Tracing of Women Disengaged from an Urban Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission Program in Uganda. Twinomuhwezi E, et al. 18 February 2026
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Global Health Action: Healthcare workers' perceptions of health worker-related interventions to improve compliance with hand hygiene recommendations for infection prevention and control in hospitalised neonates and infants in Sub-Saharan Africa: a synthesis of two qualitative evidence syntheses. Besnier E, et al. 17 February 2026
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PLOS Global Public Health: Longitudinal changes in bone mineral density among children living with HIV over 96 weeks following switch to second-line antiretroviral therapy in Uganda. Natukunda E, et al. 17 February 2026
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Jac-antimicrobial Resistance: Plasmodium falciparum field isolates drug susceptibility in Mali. Maiga FO, et al. 12 February 2026
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PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases: Implementation of good clinical practice in clinical research in the context of limited resources settings: Lessons learnt from the freeBILy trial using an embedded mixed methods approach. Gunga L, et al. 9 February 2026
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BMC Research Notes: The utility of urine lipoarabinomannan as a tuberculosis treatment monitoring tool in people living with HIV. Otaalo B, et al. 8 February 2026
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PloS One: Implementation of point of care HIV viral load monitoring for people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review on implementation research outcomes. Msoka P, et al. 4 February 2026
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Malaria Journal: Mosquito direct skin feeding bioassay: 15 years of experience and a standardised approach in Mali. Sylla D, et al. 4 February 2026
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Scientific Reports: Patients with tuberculosis and diabetes show altered clinical and biochemical parameters during anti-TB treatment. Asare AB, et al. 4 February 2026
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Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis: Diagnostic Concordance of Two- and Three-Gene SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Assays in Cameroon: Implications for Efficient Pandemic Response in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Ngueko AMK, et al. 1 February 2026
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Clinica Chimica Acta; International Journal of Clinical Chemistry: Bioequivalence of C-reactive protein in fingerprick blood and serum measured using the point-of-care LumiraDx test for tuberculosis diagnosis in exposed contacts. Chiwaya AM, et al. 31 January 2026
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Trials: A pragmatic trial with an optimized dose of rifampicin and moxifloxacin for the treatment of drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis: a study protocol for open-label, randomized phase III trial (OptiRiMoxTB). Mlyuka HJ, et al. 30 January 2026
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International Journal of Molecular Sciences: Assessing Seroprevalence and Infection Dynamics of Oncogenic Gammaherpesviruses in South African Paediatric Patients Presenting with Inflammatory Conditions. Bratl K, et al. 27 January 2026
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BMC Infectious Diseases: Possible effect of neutropenia on the efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy in pregnant women in Mali. Djimde M, et al. 27 January 2026
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Tropical Medicine and Health: Association between Schistosoma mansoni infection and fecal occult blood in schoolchildren in Mbita, Suba North sub-county, western Kenya. Biegon JC, et al. 26 January 2026
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Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland): Helminth Antigens Modulate Virus-Induced Activation of CD154 (CD40L) Expression on T Cells in Onchocerca volvulus-Infected Individuals. Fogang BAN, et al. 15 January 2026
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Scientific reports: Community survey of the infection, intensity and risk factors associated with schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in south-eastern Gabon. Kouna LC, et al. 8 January 2026
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Science Translational Medicine: Clinical testing of drug treatment shortening in patients with TB using PET/CT imaging of lung lesions. Malherbe ST, et al. 7 January 2026
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Malaria Journal: Field evaluation of the miniature direct-on-blood PCR nucleic acid lateral flow immunoassay (mini-dbPCR-NALFIA) for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum in high seasonal malaria transmission setting in Burkina Faso. Kiemde F, et al. 27 December 2025
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Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland): Geohelminthiasis and Malaria Co-Infection in Pregnant Women in Kinshasa: Case of Lisungi and Lukunga Hospitals in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dianzenza C, et al. 20 December 2025
| | Training and funding opportunities | | |
EACS Career Development Fellowship
The Career Development Fellowship supports early-career HIV physicians by pairing them with leading European experts for 12 months of guided research and clinical development. This structured mentorship aims to strengthen careers in HIV medicine and foster the next generation of clinical and research leaders. Applications are open until 31 March 2026
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9th World Conference on Research Integrity | 3-6 May 2026
The 9th World Conference on Research Integrity will be held in Vancouver, Canada, from 3-6 May 2026. Open to all disciplines and career stages, the WCRI engages universities, research institutes, funders, publishers, and governments in lively discussions. The programme features a mix of research findings, reflections, and policy development. Abstract submissions are invited on all areas of research integrity, with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, Research Security, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems. The submission deadline is 15 October 2025.
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18th World Congress of Bioethics (WCB) of the International Association of Bioethics | 8-10 July 2026
The Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics will host the 18th World Congress of Bioethics (WCB) from 8-10 July 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. This marks the first time the Congress is held in Africa, supported by leaders from various African countries through the Congress Africa Committee. The theme is “Comforting and Disturbing Bioethics,” and will include full and short oral presentations, posters, workshops, and panel sessions.
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EDCTP Communications thanks everyone who provided information for this Update. |
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