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Dicko B, Kodio S, Samoura H, Traoré F, Sykes N, Drabo M, Thizy D, Coche I, Robinson B, Sanogo K, Yagouré B, Diop S, Coulibaly MB. Stakeholder engagement in the development of genetically modified mosquitoes for malaria control in West Africa: lessons learned from 10 years of Target Malaria's work in Mali. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 11:1286694. [PMID: 38249804 PMCID: PMC10797414 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1286694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
From 2012 to 2023, the Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), based out of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), was part of the Target Malaria research consortium working towards developing novel gene drive-based tools for controlling populations of malaria vector mosquitoes. As part of this work, Target Malaria Mali has undertaken a range of in-depth engagement activities with the communities where their research is conducted and with other stakeholders nationally. These activities were meant to ensure that the project's activities took place with the agreement of those communities, and that those communities were able to play a role in shaping the project's approach to ensure that its eventual outcomes were in line with their needs and concerns. This paper aims to conduct a critical assessment of those 10 years of stakeholder engagement in order to identify good practices which can inform future engagement work on gene drive research in West Africa. It sets out a range of approaches and practices that enabled the Target Malaria Mali team to engage a variety of stakeholders, to share information, collect feedback, and determine community agreement, in a manner that was inclusive, effective, and culturally appropriate. These can be useful tools for those working on gene drive research and other area-wide vector control methods in West African contexts to ensure that their research is aligned with the interests of the communities who are intended to be its ultimate beneficiaries, and to allow those communities to play a meaningful role in the research process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bakara Dicko
- Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Souleymane Kodio
- Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Hatouma Samoura
- Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Fatoumata Traoré
- Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Naima Sykes
- Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - Kadiatou Sanogo
- Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Bilkissou Yagouré
- Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Samba Diop
- Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Mamadou B. Coulibaly
- Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
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Pare Toe L, Dicko B, Linga R, Barry N, Drabo M, Sykes N, Thizy D. Operationalizing stakeholder engagement for gene drive research in malaria elimination in Africa—translating guidance into practice. Malar J 2022; 21:225. [PMID: 35870909 PMCID: PMC9308116 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04241-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractGene drive mosquitoes are increasingly considered a potential transformational tool for vector control of malaria mosquitoes. As part of efforts to promote responsible research in this field, a number of guidance documents have been published by the World Health Organization, National Academies and expert groups. While virtually all recent guidance documents on gene drive research stress the importance of stakeholder engagement activities, no specific guidelines on implementing them have been established. Target Malaria, a not-for-profit research consortium developing a vector-control gene drive approach to eliminate malaria, has reflected on how its stakeholder engagement strategy translates engagement guidance documents into practice. The project analysed and addressed the tension between the context specificities and the international recommendations. The engagement strategy combines published recommendations for responsible gene drive research, information collected from the local context where the project operates and a set of principles guiding the choices made. This strategy was first developed during the early phases of the project’s research, years ahead of any activities with gene drive mosquitoes in those countries of operations. These earlier activities, and their related engagement, allow the project to develop and adapt an engagement strategy appropriate for potential gene drive research in its field site countries. This paper offers a description of a stakeholder engagement strategy operationalization based on (1) adaptation to stakeholder preferences, (2) inclusiveness and (3) empowerment and accountability. The authors hope to offer concrete examples to support other projects with the development and implementation of their engagement strategies with particular attention to the co-development principle.
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Pare Toe L, Barry N, Ky AD, Kekele S, Meda W, Bayala K, Drabo M, Thizy D, Diabate A. Small-scale release of non-gene drive mosquitoes in Burkina Faso: from engagement implementation to assessment, a learning journey. Malar J 2021; 20:395. [PMID: 34627240 PMCID: PMC8502271 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03929-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Innovative tools are needed to complement the existing approach for malaria elimination. Gene drive mosquitoes are one potential new technology in the control of malaria vectors. Target Malaria is one of the research projects developing this technology, and in July 2019, the project proceeded to an important step for this evaluation pathway: the small-scale release of non-gene drive sterile male mosquitoes in a village in Burkina Faso. In addition to the entomological and laboratory work to prepare for this important milestone, significant community and stakeholder engagement work was done. The existing guidelines on gene drive mosquito provide an overall framework for such engagement work. However, they do not provide a road map on how to proceed or what benchmarks should be used to assess this work. Methods This study provides a review of engagement activities relevant to field trials on non-gene drive genetically-modified mosquitoes as well as an assessment framework—using both qualitative and quantitative studies as well as an audit procedure. The latter was implemented to evaluate whether the release activities could proceed with the appropriate level of agreement from the community. Results This paper shows the importance of this first phase of work to innovate and learn about engagement processes for responsible research in the field of genetic approaches for malaria vector control. The function of these assessments is crucial for the learning agenda. The assessments demonstrated ways to increase understanding and ensure effective progress with field studies and, therefore, the pathway for responsible research. Conclusion Gene drive technology is increasingly considered as a promising approach to control vector borne diseases, in particular malaria. Stakeholders’ involvement in this research process is one of the recurring requirements in international guidance documents. With this paper Target Malaria offers an opportunity to explore the practical achievements and challenges of stakeholder engagement during early phases of a technology evaluation, and in particular how it implemented an assessment framework to learn from its experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Pare Toe
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, BP 545, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
| | - Nourou Barry
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, BP 545, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Anselme D Ky
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, BP 545, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Souleymane Kekele
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, BP 545, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Wilfrid Meda
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, BP 545, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Korotimi Bayala
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, BP 545, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Mouhamed Drabo
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Delphine Thizy
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Abdoulaye Diabate
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, BP 545, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
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Ridha MR, Kasman K, Liani E, Indriati L, Indriati L. Malaria Situation in The South Kalimantan Province, 2010–2018. JURNAL BERKALA EPIDEMIOLOGI 2021. [DOI: 10.20473/jbe.v9i22021.140-147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Malaria has caused high morbidity and mortality rates and has decreased the productivity of human resources and national development. Malaria is endemic in several districts in South Kalimantan. Purpose: This study aims to describe the malaria situation in South Kalimantan by examining the malaria cases, Case Fatality Rate (CFR), Annual Parasite Incidence (API), and Slide Parasite Rate (SPR) in the South Kalimantan Province during the period of 2010–2018. Method: This research was a descriptive study with the South Kalimantan population, who were at risk of getting malaria. This study adopted a total participation technique and included all the cases of malaria recorded in the electronic- Surveillance Information System of Malaria (e-SISMAL) data of South Kalimantan province in the period 2010–2018. The study used secondary data from the South Kalimantan Provincial Health Office during 2010–2018. The data included the number of malaria cases, morbidity, and the mortality rate of malaria. The data collected was analyzed using CFR, API, and the SPR formulae. Results: The number of malaria cases in South Kalimantan from 2010 to 2018 fluctuated. The highest number of malaria cases occurred in 2011, while a decreasing trend was observed up to 2018. At the same time, the number of deaths during 2012–2018 increased. The death rate from 2010–2018 decreased in South Kalimantan. Conclusion: The number of cases as well as deaths caused due to malaria in South Kalimantan continues to decrease. By 2025, all districts in South Kalimantan could be free from malaria.
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Thizy D, Pare Toe L, Mbogo C, Matoke-Muhia D, Alibu VP, Barnhill-Dilling SK, Chantler T, Chongwe G, Delborne J, Kapiriri L, Nassonko Kavuma E, Koloi-Keaikitse S, Kormos A, Littler K, Lwetoijera D, Vargas de Moraes R, Mumba N, Mutengu L, Mwichuli S, Nabukenya SE, Nakigudde J, Ndebele P, Ngara C, Ochomo E, Odiwuor Ondiek S, Rivera S, Roberts AJ, Robinson B, Sambakunsi R, Saxena A, Sykes N, Tarimo BB, Tiffin N, Tountas KH. Proceedings of an expert workshop on community agreement for gene drive research in Africa - Co-organised by KEMRI, PAMCA and Target Malaria. Gates Open Res 2021; 5:19. [PMID: 33884362 PMCID: PMC8042295 DOI: 10.12688/gatesopenres.13221.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene drive research is progressing towards future field evaluation of modified mosquitoes for malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa. While many literature sources and guidance point to the inadequacy of individual informed consent for any genetically modified mosquito release, including gene drive ones, (outside of epidemiological studies that might require blood samples) and at the need for a community-level decision, researchers often find themselves with no specific guidance on how that decision should be made, expressed and by whom. Target Malaria, the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the Pan African Mosquito Control Association co-organised a workshop with researchers and practitioners on this topic to question the model proposed by Target Malaria in its research so far that involved the release of genetically modified sterile male mosquitoes and how this could be adapted to future studies involving gene drive mosquito releases for them to offer reflections about potential best practices. This paper shares the outcomes of that workshop and highlights the remaining topics for discussion before a comprehensive model can be designed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lea Pare Toe
- Institut de Recherche en Science de la Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Charles Mbogo
- Kenyan Institute of Medical Research, Kilifi, Kenya.,Pan African Mosquito Control Association, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Damaris Matoke-Muhia
- Pan African Mosquito Control Association, Nairobi, Kenya.,Kenyan Institute of Medical Research, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Lydia Kapiriri
- Department of Health, Ageing and Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | | | | | - Ana Kormos
- University of California Irvine Malaria Initiative, Irvine, USA
| | - Katherine Littler
- Global Health Ethics Unit, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Roberta Vargas de Moraes
- Institute on Ethics and Policy for Innovation, Faculty of Humanities, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Noni Mumba
- Kenyan Institute of Medical Research, Kilifi, Kenya
| | | | - Sylvia Mwichuli
- International Center for Evaluation and Development, nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Janet Nakigudde
- College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Paul Ndebele
- Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
| | | | - Eric Ochomo
- Kenyan Institute of Medical Research, Kisumu, Kenya
| | | | - Stephany Rivera
- Institute on Ethics and Policy for Innovation, Faculty of Humanities, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Aaron J Roberts
- Institute on Ethics and Policy for Innovation, Faculty of Humanities, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | | | - Rodrick Sambakunsi
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Program, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Abha Saxena
- The INCLEN Trust International, Delhi, India.,Institut Ethique Histoire Humanités, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Brian B Tarimo
- Vector Immunity and Transmission Biology Unit, Department of Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences,, ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Nicki Tiffin
- Division of Computational Biology, and Wellcome Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Karen H Tountas
- Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
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Hartley S, Smith RDJ, Kokotovich A, Opesen C, Habtewold T, Ledingham K, Raymond B, Rwabukwali CB. Ugandan stakeholder hopes and concerns about gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control: new directions for gene drive risk governance. Malar J 2021; 20:149. [PMID: 33726763 PMCID: PMC7968178 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03682-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The African Union’s High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies identified gene drive mosquitoes as a priority technology for malaria elimination. The first field trials are expected in 5–10 years in Uganda, Mali or Burkina Faso. In preparation, regional and international actors are developing risk governance guidelines which will delineate the framework for identifying and evaluating risks. Scientists and bioethicists have called for African stakeholder involvement in these developments, arguing the knowledge and perspectives of those people living in malaria-afflicted countries is currently missing. However, few African stakeholders have been involved to date, leaving a knowledge gap about the local social-cultural as well as ecological context in which gene drive mosquitoes will be tested and deployed. This study investigates and analyses Ugandan stakeholders’ hopes and concerns about gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control and explores the new directions needed for risk governance. Methods This qualitative study draws on 19 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Ugandan stakeholders in 2019. It explores their hopes for the technology and the risks they believed pertinent. Coding began at a workshop and continued through thematic analysis. Results Participants’ hopes and concerns for gene drive mosquitoes to address malaria fell into three themes: (1) ability of gene drive mosquitoes to prevent malaria infection; (2) impacts of gene drive testing and deployment; and, (3) governance. Stakeholder hopes fell almost exclusively into the first theme while concerns were spread across all three. The study demonstrates that local stakeholders are able and willing to contribute relevant and important knowledge to the development of risk frameworks. Conclusions International processes can provide high-level guidelines, but risk decision-making must be grounded in the local context if it is to be robust, meaningful and legitimate. Decisions about whether or not to release gene drive mosquitoes as part of a malaria control programme will need to consider the assessment of both the risks and the benefits of gene drive mosquitoes within a particular social, political, ecological, and technological context. Just as with risks, benefits—and importantly, the conditions that are necessary to realize them—must be identified and debated in Uganda and its neighbouring countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Hartley
- University of Exeter, Northcote House, Queen's Drive, Exeter, EX4 4QJ, UK.
| | - Robert D J Smith
- Science, Technology & Innovation Studies, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Chisholm House, High School Yard, Edinburgh, EH1 1LZ, UK
| | - Adam Kokotovich
- Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7565, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7565, USA
| | - Chris Opesen
- Makerere University, PO Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Tibebu Habtewold
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Katie Ledingham
- University of Exeter, Northcote House, Queen's Drive, Exeter, EX4 4QJ, UK
| | - Ben Raymond
- University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
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Thizy D, Pare Toe L, Mbogo C, Matoke-Muhia D, Alibu VP, Barnhill-Dilling SK, Chantler T, Chongwe G, Delborne J, Kapiriri L, Nassonko Kavuma E, Koloi-Keaikitse S, Kormos A, Littler K, Lwetoijera D, Vargas de Moraes R, Mumba N, Mutengu L, Mwichuli S, Nabukenya SE, Nakigudde J, Ndebele P, Ngara C, Ochomo E, Odiwuor Ondiek S, Rivera S, Roberts AJ, Sambakunsi R, Saxena A, Sykes N, Tarimo BB, Tiffin N, Tountas KH. Proceedings of an expert workshop on community agreement for gene drive research in Africa - Co-organised by KEMRI, PAMCA and Target Malaria. Gates Open Res 2021; 5:19. [DOI: 10.12688/gatesopenres.13221.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene drive research is progressing towards future field evaluation of modified mosquitoes for malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa. While many literature sources and guidance point to the inadequacy of individual informed consent for any genetically modified mosquito release, including gene drive ones, (outside of epidemiological studies that might require blood samples) and at the need for a community-level decision, researchers often find themselves with no specific guidance on how that decision should be made, expressed and by whom. Target Malaria, the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the Pan African Mosquito Control Association co-organised a workshop with researchers and practitioners on this topic to question the model proposed by Target Malaria in its research so far that involved the release of genetically modified sterile male mosquitoes and how this could be adapted to future studies involving gene drive mosquito releases for them to offer reflections about potential best practices. This paper shares the outcomes of that workshop and highlights the remaining topics for discussion before a comprehensive model can be designed.
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A patent review on strategies for biological control of mosquito vector. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 36:187. [DOI: 10.1007/s11274-020-02960-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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