Burkina Faso research partnership with ANRS MIE
Key information about the Burkina Faso research partnership
The Burkina Faso research partnership primarily involves the Centre Muraz of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) in Bobo-Dioulasso and the International Centre for Health Research (CRIS/UO) at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Ouagadougou.
- Key stakeholders: Burkina Faso Ministry of Health, Centre Muraz/INSP, CRIS, PCCEI UMR 1058 Montpellier, French Embassy in Burkina Faso, ANRS MIE
- Main activities: strengthening national and international collaborations, supporting young researchers, assisting Burkinabe teams in project submissions, and enhancing Centre Muraz/INSP and CRIS capabilities
- Research priorities: HIV, viral hepatitis, human papillomavirus, tuberculosis, Covid-19, arboviral diseases
Quick facts
Established in
2001
Leadership
Dr Dramane Kania (Burkina Faso Coordinator), Prof. Nicolas Nagot (France Coordinator)
Partnership locations
Centre Muraz/INSP, Bobo-Dioulasso, and CRIS/UO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Partnership origins and evolution
Franco-Burkinabe collaborations in health research began in 1999. The official partnership was established in 2001 and formalized in 2006 through a framework agreement between ANRS and Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Health, centered around the Centre Muraz in Bobo-Dioulasso.
The collaboration expanded to include the International Centre for Health Research (CRIS/UO) at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University (UJKZ) in Ouagadougou. In recent years, the partnership’s scope has broadened to include emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, addressing both national and regional public health challenges through a One Health approach.
Centre Muraz and CRIS
The Centre Muraz in Bobo-Dioulasso operates as a technical division of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP). Its core missions encompass research, training, and expertise across four key areas: infectious diseases, epidemic-prone diseases, sexual and reproductive health, and health system policy and management. The Centre features a high-level technical laboratory for infectious disease diagnosis and innovation, along with a methodological and data management research center.
The International Centre for Health Research (CRIS/UO) at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University serves as a research and training hub. Its objectives include establishing an international health research platform at UJKZ and training young health professionals in medical research. Research activities focus on HIV/AIDS and global health challenges.
Timeline of the Burkina Faso-France health partnership
Partnership governance and key 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 led 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 the Burkina Faso partnership. The network also includes institutional, financial, and project-specific partnerships.
Key activities of the Burkina Faso partnership
- Collaboration with patient associations, health system actors, and policymakers from the project development stage to facilitate knowledge production and transfer
- Scientific engagement: organizing exchange days with research and health actors on specific topics 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 International Network actors, WHO, and others
- Continuing training and capacity building for young researchers and research teams (project writing, policy briefs, knowledge transfer, article writing)
- Supporting Burkinabe research teams in responding to project calls and implementing initiatives
- Enhancing Centre Muraz/INSP technical capabilities to maintain high-quality research and strengthening CRIS infrastructure for adequate project coordination space
Evolving research focus areas
HIV, STIs, and co-infections with tuberculosis and viral hepatitis research
Since the 1990s, Franco-Burkinabe health research collaboration has 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); treatment adherence and antiretroviral therapies (THILAO, MOBIDIP, 2LADY); and tuberculosis diagnosis in children living with HIV (PAANTHER).
HIV and STI prevention research in key populations (Yérelon cohorts for female sex workers and CohMSM for MSM) has evaluated the feasibility and operational effectiveness of behavioral and biomedical strategies.
Social sciences have explored the experiences of patients and access to care for HIV-positive women.
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, proposing specific intervention strategies (REVERSO).
Emerging infectious diseases research
More recent research has focused on arboviruses (ARBOFASO) and Covid-19, including treatment evaluation studies (COVERAGE Africa), diagnostics, virus understanding and impact, following a One Health approach.
Current research priorities
Research activities supported by the Burkina Faso partnership and collaborators focus on HIV, viral hepatitis, human papillomavirus (HPV), tuberculosis, Covid-19, and arboviruses. Various research domains are engaged including innovation, diagnostics, clinical research, fundamental research, public health, and social sciences. Specifically:
- Clinical research: therapeutic simplification strategies, cervical cancer diagnosis and management in people living with HIV, emerging disease treatment (Covid-19), diagnostic innovation (HBV)
- HIV across the lifespan: preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission, adolescence and transition to adulthood, aging
- Vulnerable populations: MSM*, female sex workers, street children, drug users
- Hepatitis: epidemiology of hepatitis C and E, environmental impact (HBV and aflatoxin)
- Quadruple elimination of mother-to-child transmission (HIV, HBV, syphilis, Chagas disease)
- Emerging infectious diseases: dengue and other arboviruses, Covid-19, and epidemic preparedness
* men who have sex with men
** pre-exposure prophylaxis
*** sexually transmitted infections
Impact of the Burkina Faso partnership
The partnership has strengthened Centre Muraz’s research capabilities and those of other Burkinabe research teams, fostering scientific innovation, young researcher training, health policy development, and community engagement.
The partnership has strengthened Centre Muraz, leading to its national recognition and integration in 2018 as a technical research division of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP). ANRS MIE supported its equipment, including a cohort welcome structure, molecular virology P2 laboratory, immunology laboratory, and computing center.
In 2021, thanks to the Burkina Faso partnership, Centre Muraz joined the AFROSCREEN network for SARS-CoV-2 variant sequencing and other pathogens, with the installation of a genomics platform and acquisition of an Illumina MiniSeq sequencer.
The partnership also facilitated the creation of CRIS/UO, enhancing research coordination in Ouagadougou.
The Burkina Faso partnership collaborates with Nazi Boni University (UNB) and UJKZ to support master’s and PhD student training. This support has fostered the emergence of young researchers who are leading research and shaping health policies on infectious diseases in Burkina Faso.
Associated researchers participate in various national and international technical groups for guideline development, including national committees for SARS-CoV-2 variant surveillance and HIV testing algorithm validation, and WHO working groups on HIV/hepatitis/STI therapies and breastfeeding.
The partnership also supports associations and community committees fighting HIV and viral hepatitis in Burkina Faso. These actors contribute to scientific engagement and research projects, particularly among vulnerable populations.
Despite geopolitical challenges, the Burkina Faso partnership continues to unite research actors, valorizing conducted research and exploring new perspectives for Burkina Faso and the region.
