Paul Sondo, from Nanoro, Burkina Faso recounts the highlights from his EDCTP-TDR Fellowship at WWARN

My motivation to apply for the EDCTP-TDR Fellowship

I knew about WWARN’s very high quality research and in particular the work on molecular markers. My mentor Prof Halidou Tinto encouraged me to apply to TDR* as I was finishing my PhD in Burkina Faso.

My research focuses on assessing the efficacy of antimalarial drugs, studying the genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum, and exploring the molecular markers associated with antimalarial drug resistance. I was also familiar with the Parasite Clearance Estimator.

For my clinical work, we need to estimate the parasite clearance after an artemisinin combination therapy. It is my goal to increase our measure of clearance and apply the PCE tool for a new trial in the future.

My research focus at WWARN

I am creating a database of malaria treatment studies, which we call WWARN Clinical Trials Library. I have updated this with references not on PubMed and not indexed from 1960–2014. On initial screening of EMBASE and Web of Science Core Collection, we found 16,000 potentially eligible studies; we have since screened these to include the relevant papers. We’re now working on a publication to explain how the library was created and to summarise the studies it contains. The updated the library, including studies to 2018, will be freely available online soon.

I had the opportunity of being part of the WWARN K13 Molecular Study Group, which we recently published in BMC medicine. I was also involved in updating the WWARN 2014 Molecular review about the association between Pfcrt and pfmdMR1. I found an additional 3000–4000 patients from studies using antimalarials Artesunate + amodiaquine and Artemether-lumefantrine to add to the analysis. We’ve also added in Artesunate Mefloquine to the review which will be underway this year.

Setting up the Molecular Markers of Resistance in West Africa Study Group

We set this group up to gather and explore the latest evidence on the prevalence of molecular markers associated with antimalarial drug resistance in West African Countries.

From the WWARN Molecular Surveyors we have 38 studies, but we are trying to gather more for analysis. Together with Magatte Ndiaye, WWARN West Africa Regional Coordinator, at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal we plan to present maps that will provide evidence for all stakeholders in the region. We’re also using this collaboration to train colleagues on data analysis and simple map making.

What next? Sharing my learning with students in Burkina Faso

I want to bring my learning on the important tools within the WWARN Malaria Clinical Trials Toolkit  back to Burkina by training colleagues during a workshop I am planning for this year. I will introduce students to Systematic Review methodology and best practices in data management. I learned and practiced these approaches during the Newton workshop in Nairobi, Kenya and thereafter from WWARN and IDDO Colleagues who gave their time to train me and share their experiences.

The Systematic Review process is not an easy methodology and it is not widely taught in West Africa, I intend to teach to what I learned to undergraduate students.  I will also share my learning from co-leading the Molecular Markers of Resistance in West Africa Study Group.

During the workshop this year I will also develop a questionnaire to discover what additional tools are needed with research groups in the sub-region; I want to be sure that we can develop the skills of young researchers in my region.

Putting the Toolkit approach into practice in the lab

I am the research lab lead for the Clinical Research Unit Lab in Nanoro. When trying to use Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), we often have issues identifying the best and most up-to-date SOPs available, for example the SOP for DNA extraction is a procedure that we know needs updating in our lab. Also, the Malaria Case Record Form is a great template we can use.

The WWARN Malaria Clinical Trials Toolkit provides guidance that will give me a more structured approach to trials in the lab. Before I only knew specific parts of the process. This is freely available and easy to access online, we are very excited to start using these peer-reviewed tools in our lab.

Prof Halidou Tinto has also been teaching some elements of clinical trials at the Nazi Boni University, I hope to join him in this teaching.   

It was memorable being at WWARN, and it challenged me

I was approached by a researcher from Niger who wanted to join the Molecular Markers of Resistance in West Africa Study Group at the 9^th EDCTP Forum in Lisbon. This was a great moment, once researchers understand the purpose and benefits of a collaborative approached, they want to be part of it.

I had to deal with big geographic distance between partners, you have to be organised to plan and stay connected. I would have appreciated having more funds to meet collaborators face-to-face to train and share ideas on data management approaches.

What would I tell a new EDCTP-TDR Fellow?

To “feel free” to take ownership of your work – to have the freedom to define your own path and plan your work. The WWARN approach is to prepare leaders, to develop your leadership skills, rather than defining everything for you step by step. The support from EDCTP-TDR for this Fellowship was fantastic, an amazing opportunity.

The applications for 2019 fellowships close Thursday 7^th March – apply soon!

Thanks to Paul Sondo for his interview time with Andrea Stewart, Head of Communications & Advocacy at WWARN.

*TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, is a global programme of scientific collaboration that helps facilitate, support and influence efforts to combat diseases of poverty. It is hosted at the World Health Organization (WHO), and is sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and WHO.

**The Clinical Research and Development Fellowship (CRDF) scheme is jointly implemented by EDCTP (the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership) and TDR, the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases.