Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences sponsors Capacity Building Satellite Session during AIDS 2016 in Durban, South Africa

A satellite session was convened on July 21^st entitled “Building on HIV Clinical Pharmacology to establish an African Center of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Sciences” The session was chaired by UB’s Professor Gene Morse and Professor Admire Dube of the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa. Scientific breakthroughs in HIV prevention and treatment research, many with novel pharmacologic strategies, have produced evidence that early access to combination antiretroviral therapy is highly effective in preventing HIV sexual and vertical transmission, as well as reducing mortality.

Building on the resultant HIV/AIDS pharmacology research infrastructure in Africa can facilitate regional educational initiatives in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to foster the application of emerging technologies in drug development, drug quality testing, nanomedicine and indigenous medicines for tuberculosis, malaria, viral hepatitis as well as emerging infectious diseases. This satellite will focus on mechanisms that that will contribute to an integrated model for clinical pharmacology research programs within an African network of university and private sector settings with the following themes: 1) point of care medication adherence testing and behavioral research models, 2) design of clinically important pharmacokinetic drug interaction studies, 3) drug disposition during pregnancy, in infants, and in utero, and 4) nutritional factors and indigenous medicines that influence outcomes and 5) quality management systems in pharmaceutical sciences. These themes are essential for global biomedical research and planning for African regional and national capacity.

This session emphasized the key components necessary for national programs to gain the expertise required to develop an African Center of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Presenters included Tinashe Mudzviti of the University of Zimbabwe, “Establishing the University of Zimbabwe Center of Excellence in Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences”; Sarah Nanzigu, Makerere University, Uganda, “Role for Clinical Pharmacology and Translational Science in National Health Programs”; Admire Dube, University of the Western Cape, South Africa, “Nanomedicine Laboratories and Drug Development programs in Africa; and Robin DiFrancesco of the University at Buffalo, “Building on Quality Assurance toward Pharmaceutical Laboratory Quality Management Systems”.