Burkina Faso research partnership
Essential insights into the Burkina Faso research partnership
The Burkina Faso research partnership, spearheaded by the Centre Muraz of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) in Bobo-Dioulasso and the International Health Research Center (CRIS/UO) at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Ouagadougou, forms a cornerstone of regional health research initiatives.
- Key players: Burkina Faso Ministry of Health, Centre Muraz/INSP, CRIS, PCCEI UMR 1058 Montpellier, French Embassy in Burkina Faso, ANRS MIE
- Core activities: strengthening national and international collaborations, supporting young researchers, assisting Burkinabè teams in project applications, and enhancing Centre Muraz/INSP and CRIS capabilities
- Research priorities: HIV, viral hepatitis, human papillomavirus, tuberculosis, Covid-19, and arboviral diseases
In brief
Established
2001
Leadership
Dr Dramane Kania (Burkina Faso Coordinator), Prof. Nicolas Nagot (France Coordinator)
Host institutions
Centre Muraz/INSP, Bobo-Dioulasso, and CRIS/UO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Partnership origins and evolution
Franco-Burkinabè collaborations in health research began in 1999, with the formal partnership established in 2001 and officially recognized in 2006 through a framework agreement between ANRS and Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Health, centered on the Centre Muraz in Bobo-Dioulasso.
The collaboration expanded to include the Centre for International Health Research (CRIS/UO) at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Ouagadougou. In recent years, the partnership has broadened its scope to include emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, adopting a One Health approach to address public health challenges in Burkina Faso and the wider region.
Centre Muraz and CRIS
Centre Muraz, located in Bobo-Dioulasso, serves as a technical division of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP). Its mission encompasses research, training, and expertise across four key areas: infectious diseases, epidemic-prone diseases, sexual and reproductive health, and health systems policy and management. The centre boasts a state-of-the-art laboratory and data management facilities dedicated to diagnosing and innovating infectious disease solutions.
The International Health Research Center (CRIS/UO) at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Ouagadougou aims to establish an international research platform and train young health professionals in medical research. Its research activities focus on public health challenges related to HIV/AIDS and global health.
Key milestones in the Franco-Burkinabè collaboration
Partnership governance and collaborators
Burkina Faso Coordinator: Dr Dramane Kania
Centre Muraz/INSP, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
France Coordinator: Prof. Nicolas Nagot
PCCEI/UMR1058, Inserm, EFS, University of Montpellier, University of the Antilles, France
Deputy Coordinator: Dr Désiré Dahourou
Institute for Health Sciences Research (IRSS), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Honorary Coordinator: Prof. Nicolas Meda
CRIS/UO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
The partnership was previously coordinated by Prof. Nicolas Meda (Burkina Faso Coordinator) and Prof. Philippe Van de Perre (France Coordinator).
Collaborators (non-exhaustive list)
Numerous partners, including universities, NGOs, ministries, research institutions, health structures, and community actors, collaborate with Centre Muraz and CRIS through this partnership. Additional institutional, financial, and project-based partnerships also contribute to its success.
Main partnership activities
- Engagement with patient associations, health system actors, and policymakers to facilitate knowledge production and transfer during new research project development
- Scientific animation: organizing exchange days with research and health actors on specific themes aligned with Burkina Faso’s and the region’s priorities
- Expanding and strengthening collaborations at national (IRSS Nanoro, Nouna, CNRFP, CORUS, LCR, ONSP, etc.) and international levels with ANRS MIE’s international network, WHO, and others
- Continuing training and capacity building for young researchers and teams (project writing, policy notes, knowledge transfer, article writing, etc.)
- Supporting Burkinabè research teams in responding to project calls and implementing initiatives
- Enhancing Centre Muraz/INSP’s technical capabilities for high-quality research and improving CRIS infrastructure to support research coordination
Evolution of research focus
HIV, STIs, and co-infections with tuberculosis and viral hepatitis research
Since the 1990s, Franco-Burkinabè health research collaborations have focused on HIV prevention, diagnosis, and management.
Therapeutic trials have been conducted and continue today on mother-to-child transmission prevention (Kesho-Bora, Promise PEP, PREVENIR PEV, TRI MOM); adherence and antiretroviral therapies (THILAO, MOBIDIP, 2LADY); and tuberculosis diagnosis in children with HIV (PAANTHER).
Research on HIV and STI prevention in key populations (Yérelon cohorts for sex workers and CohMSM for MSM) has evaluated the feasibility and operational effectiveness of behavioral and biomedical strategies.
Social sciences have explored the lived experiences of patients and access to care for women living with HIV.
Biological research has analyzed HIV transmission (sexual and mother-to-child), treatment resistance, viral genetic diversity, and the impact of HIV-tuberculosis co-infection.
Studies on viral hepatitis have revealed high HBV and HCV prevalence with heterogeneous distribution across the country, leading to the development of specific intervention strategies (REVERSO).
Emerging infectious disease research
More recent research has focused on arboviral diseases (ARBOFASO) and Covid-19, including studies on treatment evaluation (COVERAGE Africa), diagnostics, virus understanding, and impact, using a One Health approach.
Current research priorities
Research activities led by the Burkina Faso research partnership and collaborators focus on HIV, viral hepatitis, human papillomavirus (HPV), tuberculosis, Covid-19, and arboviral diseases. Various research domains are engaged, including innovation, diagnostics, clinical research, fundamental research, public health, and social sciences. Specific priorities include:
- Clinical research: treatment simplification strategies, cervical cancer diagnosis and management in people living with HIV, emerging disease treatments (Covid-19), diagnostic innovation (HBV)
- HIV across the lifespan: preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission, adolescence and transition to adulthood, aging
- Vulnerable populations: MSM*, sex workers, street children, drug users
- Hepatitis: epidemiology of hepatitis C and E, environmental effects (HBV and aflatoxins)
- Quadruple elimination of mother-to-child transmission (HIV, HBV, syphilis, Chagas disease)
- Emerging infectious diseases: dengue and other arboviral diseases, Covid-19, and epidemic preparedness
* men who have sex with men
** pre-exposure prophylaxis
*** sexually transmitted infections
Contributions of the Burkina Faso research partnership
The partnership has strengthened Centre Muraz’s research capabilities and those of other Burkinabè research teams, fostering scientific innovation, young researcher training, health policy development, and community engagement.
The partnership has strengthened Centre Muraz, leading to its 2018 recognition as a research technical division of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP). ANRS MIE supported its equipment, including cohort hosting facilities, a P2 molecular virology laboratory, an immunology laboratory, and a computing center.
In 2021, thanks to the partnership, Centre Muraz joined the AFROSCREEN network for SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogen variant sequencing, establishing a genomics platform with an Illumina MiniSeq sequencer.
The partnership also facilitated the creation of CRIS/UO, enhancing research coordination in Ouagadougou.
The Burkina Faso research partnership collaborates with Nazi Boni University (UNB) and Joseph Ki-Zerbo University (UJKZ) to support master’s and PhD student training, fostering the emergence of young researchers who drive infectious disease research and policy guidance in Burkina Faso.
Associated researchers participate in various national and international technical groups to develop recommendations, including national committees for SARS-CoV-2 variant surveillance, HIV testing algorithm validation, and WHO reflection groups on HIV/hepatitis/STI therapies and breastfeeding.
The partnership also supports associations and community committees combating HIV and viral hepatitis in Burkina Faso. These actors contribute to scientific animation and research projects, particularly among vulnerable populations.
Despite geopolitical challenges, the partnership continues to unite research actors, highlight research achievements, and explore new opportunities for Burkina Faso and the region.
Further reading
AFROSCREEN: a Covid-19 response program
The French Development Agency (AFD) and ANRS | Emerging Infectious Diseases, in partnership with the Pasteur Institute, IRD, and laboratories from 13 African countries, jointly launch the AFROSCREEN project. This initiative addresses urgent surveillance needs for…
19 July 2021
Interview with Adama Sana: COVID4P project insights
Interview with Adama Sana in the context of the COVID4P project
18 October 2021
Enhanced sequencing needed for better variant surveillance in Africa
Read in The Conversation France
10 January 2022
2022 ANRS scientific days in Burkina Faso
The 11th scientific days of the ANRS | Emerging Infectious Diseases partner site in Burkina Faso took place on November 21-22, 2022, in Ouagadougou and online. The event showcased several research projects including ORHEB, TRI-MOM, and AFROSCREEN.
22 November 2022
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