Staff Reporter
The University of Zimbabwe Clinical Trials Research Centre (UZ-CTRC) has reaffirmed its leading role in the country’s fight against HIV and other diseases through decades of cutting-edge biomedical research that has shaped both national and regional health responses.
For the past 30 years, the UZ-CTRC has been at the forefront of developing and testing strategies to prevent and treat HIV, tuberculosis (TB), COVID-19, cancer and other related conditions.
This work has seen Zimbabwe become the first country in Africa to approve innovative HIV prevention tools,such as the Dapivirine vaginal ring and injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Speaking during an interview on the sidelines of the SADC Joint Meeting of Ministers responsible for Education, Training, Science, Technology and Innovation in Harare yesterday, Senior Research Nurse Vanessa Gatsi said the UZ-CTRC’s research had helped shape the country’s HIV prevention guidelines and influenced progress in the region.
“Because of our research, Zimbabwe became the first country in Africa to approve the Dapivirine vaginal ring and the injectable PrEP. We also supported health workers in clinics by training them to administer the new PrEP injections and to counsel clients so they could choose the best HIV prevention method available,” she said.
The UZ-CTRC’s work has directly contributed to the development of HIV prevention guidelines, including PrEP for adults and nevirapine prophylaxis to stop mother-to-child transmission.
The Centre also championed the introduction of universal antiretroviral therapy (ART), also known as treatment.
Research Counsellor Caroline Mugocha, who was also interviewed at the SADC meeting, said the UZ-CTRC remains focused on testing the latest prevention technologies to reduce new HIV infections.
“We are currently evaluating the use of monoclonal antibodies to prevent HIV infection in both adults and infants. We are also testing HIV vaccine candidates identified by researchers in Africa and around the world,” she said.
She added that the Centre’s close collaboration with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) made it possible for new prevention products to be registered quickly.
“Our partnership with MCAZ during clinical trials allowed Zimbabwe to be the first African country to approve these products,” she said.
As UZ-CTRC continues its pioneering research, the Centre remains committed to supporting Zimbabwe’s efforts to end HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
