Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso - INSTech

In 2005, Dr. Parikh and Dr. Jean Bosco Ouedraogo began collaborating on a pharmacogenomic study in Burkina Faso. It was followed by pharmacokinetic and drug efficacy studies of antimalarials, the results of which influenced malaria treatment guidelines for the WHO in 2015. In 2012, Dr. Parikh moved to Yale, coincident with the receipt of a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-funded R21 proposal entitled “Innate immune responses in populations with differing susceptibility to malaria” conducted with Dr. Ouedraogo and IRSS-DRO. Through this collaboration (IRSS-DRO-Yale University), investigators from IRSS-DRO spent several months at Yale for a laboratory training visit to learn techniques relating to immunologic assays relevant to the R21.

In 2015, Dr. Ouedraogo created a private institute for High Education and Scientific Research called “Institut des Sciences et Techniques (INSTech)”. Directed by Dr. Ouedraogo, INSTech, has many internationally-funded clinical and vaccine trials ongoing in different sites around Bobo-Dioulasso.

INSTech has a performant platform and facilities and qualified personnel in each site. Drs. Ouedraogo and Parikh have an ongoing trial funded by the SAMRC to assess the pharmacogenomics of antimalarials. In addition, an important clinical trial involving the newly improved malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, is being conducted at INSTech in collaboration with Oxford University. A research facility was established with a new building totally dedicated for clinical and vaccine trials: three rooms for consultation, one room for nurses, one room for observation/hospitalization with 10 beds, two rooms for pharmacists and drug/vaccine preparation, two boxes for drug/vaccine administration, one open-work space for staff, laboratories equipped for hematology, biochemistry, bacteriology, molecular biology, insectary for mosquito and labs for infectivity, and offices. There is an access to high-speed internet and for virtual-conferencing. There are two principal sites for clinical trials with new antimalarials with qualified personnel and facilities-- one in downtown of Bobo and in the periphery of the city.