Burkina Faso research partnership with ANRS MIE

partnership origins and evolution

Franco-Burkinabè collaborations in health research began as early as 1999. The partnership was formally established in 2001 and officially recognized in 2006 through a framework agreement between ANRS and the Ministry of Health, centered around the Muraz Centre in Bobo-Dioulasso.

Collaboration later expanded to include the International Health Research Centre (CRIS/UO) at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University (UJKZ) in Ouagadougou.

In recent years, the scope of the Burkina Faso research partnership has broadened to include emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, addressing critical public health and scientific challenges in Burkina Faso and the wider region. Research is conducted using the One Health approach within a global health framework.

partnership governance and team members

partnership activities and impact

• Collaboration with patient associations, health system actors, and policymakers to facilitate knowledge production and transfer during new research project development
• Scientific engagement: organizing exchange days with research and health actors on topics aligned with Burkina Faso and regional 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 notes, knowledge transfer, article writing)
• Supporting Burkinabè research teams in responding to project calls and implementing research initiatives
• Enhancing the Muraz Centre/INSP technical platform to maintain high-quality research and upgrading CRIS infrastructure to provide adequate space for research coordination

Evolution of research focus areas

HIV, STIs, and co-infections with tuberculosis and viral hepatitis

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); treatment adherence and antiretroviral therapies (THILAO, MOBIDIP, 2LADY); and tuberculosis diagnosis in children living 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 prevalence rates of HBV and HCV with heterogeneous distribution across the country, leading to the development of specific intervention strategies (REVERSO).

Research on emerging infectious diseases (EIDs)

New research areas have emerged more recently, including arboviruses (ARBOFASO) and Covid-19, with studies on treatment evaluation (COVERAGE Africa), diagnostics, virus understanding, and impact, following a One Health approach.

Current research priorities

Research activities led and supported by key actors in the Burkina Faso research partnership and their 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. Specific areas include:

• Clinical research: therapeutic simplification strategies, cervical cancer diagnosis and management in people living with HIV, treatment of emerging diseases (Covid-19), diagnostic innovation (HBV)
• HIV across the lifespan: prevention of 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 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

The partnership has significantly enhanced the Muraz Centre, 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 reception facility, a P2 molecular virology laboratory, an immunology laboratory, and a data processing centre.

In 2021, thanks to the research partnership, the Muraz Centre joined the AFROSCREEN network for SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogen variant sequencing, with the installation of a genomics platform and the acquisition of an Illumina MiniSeq sequencer.

The Burkina Faso research partnership also facilitated the creation of CRIS/UO, enabling research coordination in Ouagadougou.

The Burkina Faso research partnership collaborates with Nazi Boni University (UNB) and UJKZ to support master’s and doctoral student training. This support has fostered the emergence of young researchers who are key drivers of infectious disease research and policy direction in Burkina Faso.

Associated researchers participate in various national and international technical groups to develop recommendations. These include national committees for SARS-CoV-2 variant surveillance and HIV testing algorithm validation, as well as WHO working groups on HIV/hepatitis/STI therapies and breastfeeding.

The partnership also supports associations and community committees engaged in the fight against HIV and viral hepatitis in Burkina Faso. These actors contribute to scientific engagement and research projects, enabling initiatives targeting vulnerable populations.

Despite geopolitical challenges, the research partnership continues to unite research actors, highlight research achievements, and explore new opportunities for Burkina Faso and the region.