LEAP Platform

LEAP, the Leishmaniasis East Africa Platform, is a regional clinical research network that brings together experts from leishmaniasis-endemic East African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. The platform incorporates partners from across the spectrum of clinical research and disease control organisations/institutions working in leishmaniasis in these countries.

LEAP serves to strengthen clinical research capacity, which is lacking in part due to the remoteness and geographic spread of the patients (most of whom are in the most impoverished regions of Africa). This platform also serves a base for ongoing educational cooperation between the countries in the East African region and standardisation of procedures and practices within the region, as far as is possible within the confines of local regulations. LEAP projects are carried out as collaborative efforts.

LEAP, in collaboration with DNDi is currently conducting a large-scale, multi-centre clinical trial in East Africa to assess the field effectiveness of paromomycin in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Also as part of its role, LEAP brings its members together at biannual meetings. In addition, physical upgrading of facilities directly related to clinical trials is taking place within disease endemic regions. Such capacity strengthening includes the building and renovation of hospital wards, clinics, and health posts; renovation and re-equipping of clinical laboratories; and training of health service personnel with particular emphasis on building expertise in clinical trial methodology, Good Clinical Practice and Ethics, patient evaluation, treatment and safety, accurate diagnosis, and follow-up by parasitology.