Time to Train, Translate, and Initiate Clinical Trials for Sickle Cell Disease, β-Thalassemia and HIV in Africa and India
Advances in genetic engineering of T cells and bone marrow stem cells have opened new opportunities for patients in high-income countries.
We have identified specific interventions in sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-Thalassemia that hold great promise for a cure. Similarly, we have developed a new candidate for a potential curative therapy for HIV that will begin clinical trials at UCSF in 2021. Both approaches share a core set of technological and medical approaches that we are developing as a unified program.
We initiated a partnership with clinical centers of excellence in treating HIV, Sickle Cell Disease and β-Thalassemia in Uganda and India. These partners are located in places where SCD, β-Thalassemia, and HIV impact millions of lives and represent the most advanced clinical centers available in each region.
Our Global Gene Therapy Initiative (GGTI) working group includes clinicians, researchers, advocates and other individual partners* from:
The GGTI working group will initially focus on establishing a sustainable pathway to implement cell and gene therapy at the JCRC in Uganda and the CMC in India.
Support Implementation of Cure Research Clinical Trials in Africa and India
The medical, technical, regulatory, and clinical management resources required are formidable.
We have the partnerships and technical platforms in place, but the financial resources to staff and implement these curative approaches to SCD and HIV need to be addressed.
Your donation will help translate our plans into concrete actionable steps to make curative approaches to SCD and HIV available in low and middle-income countries.
Caring Cross is serving as the coordinating center for this effort. By donating here (GGTI Impact Initiative) your donation is entirely dedicated to this effort. This initiative is being led by Dr. Jen Adair of the Fred Hutch, Dr Cissy Kityo of the JCRC and Dr. Boro Dropulić of Caring Cross. Their combined expertise in cell therapy and vector biology, as well as establishing international clinical trials, will ensure focused stewardship of your donation.
Join our mission to help develop cures and impact communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) around the world.
Your donation to Caring Cross will help directly translate our plans into concrete actionable steps to make curative approaches to SCD, β-Thalassemia and HIV available in LMICs.
Reference:
Adair JE, Androski L, Bayigga L, Bazira D, Brandon E, Dee L, Deeks S, Draz M, Dubé K, Dybul M, Gurkan U, Harlow E, Kityo C, Louella M, Malik P, Mathews V, McKemey A, Mugerwa H, Muyanja D, Olayiwola O, Orentas RJ, Popovski A, Sheehy J, Ssali F, Nsubuga MS, Tisdale JF, Verhoeyen E, Dropulić B. Towards access for all: 1st Working Group Report for the Global Gene Therapy Initiative (GGTI). Gene Ther. 2021 Sep 8. doi: 10.1038/s41434-021-00284-4
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41434-021-00284-4
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34493840/
