A new clinical trial by the UCT Lung Institute’s Centre for TB Research Innovation (CTBRI) is not only innovative in design and in its collaborative nature, but it’s also the first major African TB study to use a complete source-based electronic data capture and verification system.

Importantly, the clinical trial will identify new TB treatment regimens, part of an international ‘common research’ initiative to significantly shorten the duration of treatment from six to three months.

The trial is recruiting patients from City of Cape Town clinics and these patients on novel TB treatment combinations will be followed up intensively for a year. A second site operates from TASK Applied Science in Bellville.

The African Consortium for the Evaluation of Anti-tuberculosis agents (PanACEA) has been developing capacity by building infrastructure and supporting the professional development of African and European scientists. The PanACEA network includes 11 African institutions in six countries linked with four European Institutions.

Read more UCT: Today’s news, 12 June 2013