RESEARCH

Research and innovation are at the heart of ALIMA’s work. Our goal is to propose innovative solutions to meet the challenges of humanitarian medicine in the 21st century.

To achieve this, ALIMA’s projects adapt medical research to the context of humanitarian operations.

Context

In Africa, 60% of deaths are linked to infectious diseases, most of these deaths are preventable.
Only 2.6% of research projects are conducted on the African continent.
Current medical research is not adapted to the challenges of humanitarian aid.

ALIMA’s model of research and innovation means we are able to utilize research to provide effective and contextually appropropriate medical care within the regions where we work.

30

research projects conducted by ALIMA since its creation in 2009

20 %

of ALIMA’s work is devoted to medical research ranging from infectious diseases to the treatment of malnutrition

15

ALIMA’s Response

CORAL, a collaborative research platform

In 2016, ALIMA and its partners created a unique model of research dedicated to humanitarian medical research, via an alliance between researchers, health workers and NGOs in Africa and Europe.

Thus, ALIMA and the INSERM1219 IDLIC (Infectious Diseases in Lower-Income Countries) team built the CORAL (Clinical and Operational Research Alliance) platform, to combat existing emerging health threats in Africa.

The platform integrates several teams from Inserm (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) and PAC-CI, a research site based in Ivory Coast, which is part of the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Hepatitis (ANRS).

The CORAL platform offers innovative solutions to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian medical interventions and relies on Northern-Southern countries partnership, with all projects led by teams from developing countries.

Research for Better Management of Malnutrition

In 2016 and 2018, the OptiMA study (Optimising the Treatment of Malnutrition) demonstrated the ability to improve the care of malnourished children by combining the MUAC strategy (mothers measuring the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference r of children) for early referral of sick children and the simplification of their treatment. ALIMA is also conducting OptiMA study in Niger, Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read more

Clinical Research to Better Treat and Prevent Viral Hemorrhagic Fever

Recently, ALIMA has carried out research projects in health emergencies, particularly during outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers.

ALIMA implemented the PREVAC project, a vaccine trial comparing the effectiveness of several Ebola vaccine strategies. Read more
In Nigeria in 2018, to fight Lassa fever, ALIMA established a partnership with Inserm through the ALERRT consortium (The African coaLition for Epidemic Research, Response and Training) and in coordination with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. A research team is currently conducting the LASCOPE project, which aims to better understand and describe the disease, while working on the evaluation of therapeutic strategies. Read more
In 2019, as part of the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ALIMA and its research partners participated in a randomized controlled clinical trial comparing experimental treatments for the Ebola Virus. The objective of the trial was to identify the most effective drug among four promising molecules. Two of them were found to be effective in reducing the initial mortality rate from 70% to 30%: Ebola is no longer a fatal disease

ALIMA is currently carrying out 15 innovative research projects to find solutions that transform humanitarian medicine.

* Cover picture © Etinosa Yvonne / ALIMA