Mission
The mission of AMANET is to promote capacity strengthening and networking of malaria R&D in Africa.

History
AMANET originally started its activities as African Malaria Vaccine Testing Network (AMVTN) in 1995 with the primary goal of preparing Africa in planning and conducting malaria vaccine trials.In order to widen the scope in malaria interventions, AMVTN was succeeded by AMANET in 2002. Although the primary goal of AMANET has remained malaria vaccine development, the organization in its expanded role includes other intervention measures such as antimalaria drugs and vector control.

Broad objective
To continue developing self-sustainable centres in Africa that meet international requirements for conducting malaria intervention trials.

Specific objectives

• To develop and support implementation of standards for the expertise and infrastructure required to perform and to evaluate intervention trials
• To promote and coordinate capacity strengthening activities of African malaria R&D institutions
• To further develop previously selected centres for clinical trials so as to attain sustainability
• To select more centres for future strengthening for more clinical trials
• To support long-term training of research personnel
• To develop suitable training programmes in accordance with international standards
• To fill gaps in infrastructure of the selected centres
• To disseminate information of AMANET activities
• To facilitate and promote the conducting of intervention trials
• To sponsor clinical and field trials
• To promote development of African indigenous antimalaria medicines
• To promote development of appropriate malaria diagnostics
• To establish a data management centre for AMANET funded trials
• To review AMANET constitution, and elect members of different AMANET governing bodies

Members of the AMANET Board of Trustees (BoT)

Robert Guiguemde (Burkina Faso)
Yadon Kohi (Tanzania)
Rose Leke (Cameroon)
Marcel Tanner (Switzerland)
Wen L Kilama (Secretary, Tanzania)
Regina Rabinovich (USA)
Hassan Mshinda (Tanzania)
Dan Kaseje (Kenya)
Søren Jepsen (Denmark)
Louis Miller (USA)

Members of the Scientific Coordinating Committee (SCC)
Achidi Eric Akum (Cameroon)
Ibrahim ElHassan (Sudan)
Wen L Kilama (Secretariat, non-voting member)
Kevin Marsh (Kenya, Chairman)
Carter Diggs (USA)
Salim Abdulla (Tanzania)
Kalifa Bojang (The Gambia)
Bernhards Ogutu (Kenya)
Seth Owusu-Agyei (Ghana)
Theonest Mutabingwa (Tanzania)
Alfred Tiono (Burkina Faso)
Adrian Luty (The Netherlands)
Marita Troye-Blomberg (Sweden)

Secretariat
Wen L. Kilama (Managing Trustee)
James A. Oloo (Network Director)
Roma Chilengi (Clinical Trials Coordinator)
Francine Ntoumi (MIM Secretariat Coordinator)
Ramadhani A. Noor (Projects and Sites Manager)
Aceme Nyika (Ethics Coordinator)
Badru B. Amri (Finance and Administration Manager)
Charles L. Wanga (Communications Officer)
Saad Ramadhani (Information Technology Officer)
Bonney G. Majila (Accounts and Procurement Officer)
Saada N. Mandawa (Personal Secretary)
Leila Mfinanga (Executive Assistant)

Trial Sites Development Committee (TSDC)
This is a Committee of experts appointed by the Board of Trustees from SCC to advise AMANET on specific issues relating to the development of trial sites.

Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP)
This is a panel of experts from various disciplines from whom ad hoc Expert Committees are formed to advise AMANET on specific research and scientific issues.

ONGOING AND UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Training Workshops
Data management;
Training for DSMB members;
Good clinical practice (GCP);
Health research ethics in Africa ;
Afro-immunoassay network.

Web-based courses
Basic Health Research Ethics Course (ongoing);
French version of Basic Health Research Ethics Course (upcoming);
Good Clinical Practice (upcoming);
Advanced Health Research Ethics (upcoming).

Building institutional capacities in Health Research Ethics in Africa
This is a four-year project with three major parts:

1. Strengthening ethical review capacity of institutional Ethics Committees in Afica. Current activities include:
• Baseline survey of institutional ethics review committees to determine needs and areas of weakness,
• Training workshops in health research ethics from an African perspective; series of eight workshops, six in English and two of which will be in French,
• Training workshop on the harmonisation of standard operating procedures for ethics review committees,
• Provision of sub-grants for strengthening of institutionalethics review capacity.
2. Training investigators in Advanced Health Research Ethics:
   
   • Five training workshops in Health Research Ethics for investigators are planned.
     Fostering and promoting discussion and debate on health research ethics from an African perspective:
   
   
3. Fostering of an electronic discussion forum,
   
   • Encourage discussion and debate on ethical dilemmas and challenges encountered in Africa.

The Afro–Immunoassay (AIA) Network
Afro-immunoassay Network, started by AMANET in 2003, has been working on developing standardized immunological assays to assess the association between acquisition of malaria specific antibody responses and subsequent protection from clinical malaria. This is a concerted network of six African countries/institutions with different geographical and
epidemiological settings comprising low to holo-endemic malaria and three supporting European institutions.

The AIA network is now under a new five year project, within the European Malaria Vaccine Development Association (EMVDA) Consortium. This is an integrated project, through which the AIA network will focus on standardization and validation of its immunological assays, expansion to include new partners, further training and enhancement of laboratory expertise on functional assays required for malaria vaccine evaluation.

Product research and development
Among the cherished goals of AMANET is to develop sustainable human and infrastructure capacity for African owned and led institutions to undertake malaria vaccine trials that are appropriate for Africans living in malaria-endemic areas. The current focus is to support the creation of a spectrum of interventional tools, especially vaccines that are efficacious, acceptable, affordable and readily accessible. The following are AMANET’s candidate malaria vaccine portfolio:

• The Merozoite Surface Protein - Long Sythetic Peptide (MSP3 LSP): This is a leading product which has been shown to be safe in adults in Africa. The vaccine is currently undergoing testing for safety in children both in Burkina Faso and in Tanzania. Should the safety profile be confirmed,the vaccine will be taken through phase IIb trials that would establish limited proof of efficacy.
• The Apical Membrane Antigen (AMA1): This is another leading candidate vaccine in development and is now undergoing phase Ib evaluation in adults Mali. If evaluation of the safety results are satisfactory, the product will further be tested in children for safety again and then immunogenicity.
• The GMZ2: The third candidate vaccine in the portfolio is undergoing a phase Ib adults study in Gabon. This product is unique because it is a hybrid molecule with two potential targets on the malaria parasite; GLURP and MSP3. The product is expected to undergo a similar developmental pathway should it continue to have good results.

Other candidate vaccines which meet the required profile are welcome to the AMANET malaria vaccine development programme.

Capacity strengthening
Human resource and infrastructure development for malaria interventions in Africa is priority to AMANET. This goal is being realized through both short-term trainings as well as direct financial support of the core centres. AMANET conducts short-term trainings through various workshops conducted throughout Africa.

Additionally AMANET supports long-term training of individuals from AMANET funded sites which include:

• National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)-Tanga,Tanzania: The programme has steadily continued. We are currently preparing the site for the first vaccine trial of MSP3 in children aged 1-2 years. The site Characterization activities are near completion. Two staff members at the site are currently taking AMANET sponsored long term training programs at MSc and PhD level.
• Tropical Diseases Research Centre (TDRC)-Ndola,Zambia: The centre is on the capacity development programme having received a strengthening grant. Two AMANET sponsored students are due to complete their training abroad at masters level.
• Centre de National Recherché et de Formation sur le Paludisme (CNRFP)-Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: The site is currently conducting phase Ib trial of the MSP3 candidate vaccine. Two immunologists were sent to Netherlands for two weeks on specific training to transfer technology and establish cellular assays. This has led to technology transfer with their lab now able to handle the relevant immunological assays to support the clinical trials. AMANET is supporting seven CNRFP staff for long-term training (five PhD and two MSc).
• The Makerere University-Kampala, Uganda: The site has become the newest to receive a grant from AMANET for capacity strengthening in preparation for vaccine trials. It has, in parallel, received a grant for ethics committee strengthening.

The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM)
From January 2006, AMANET became host to the MIM Secretariat.This is a global alliance of individuals, funding partners and four autonomous constituents comprising the MIM Secretariat,MIM/TDR, MIMCom and MR4. Its mission is to maximize scientific research impact on malaria, through coordinated global collaboration and strengthening African research capacity in the development of treatment and control tools.

Acknowledgements
AMANET acknowledges financial support from the Danish Development Agency (DANIDA), the Bill and Melinda Foundation, the Netherlands Ministry of International Cooperation (DGIS) and the European Commission-Directorate General Research and EuropeAID Cooperation Office (AIDCO).

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