(30 lines) It is estimated that 305,800 babies are born each year with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) worldwide with nearly 75% of the births occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite this high incidence, there are currently no effective public health programs in any SSA country focused on SCD. As a consequence, up to 90% of infants with SCD in SSA are believed to die by five years. Evidences from the West indicate that the institution of interventions such as newborn screening and penicillin prophylaxis are credited with the ~70% reduction in mortality rate among children with SCD. However, the death rate in adult SCD patients in the US has not improved, due to additional debilitating complications. There is therefore a major need for research to help develop effective therapies across the life span for SCD in all parts of the world. Longitudinal cohort studies are the most scientifically rigorous methods in understanding of, risk factors, and health and disease outcomes. High disease prevalence in SSA would be expected to facilitate epidemiologic, translational, and clinical research studies on SCD, similar to Framingham Study for the heart. This U24 application is seeking to establish a Data Coordinating Center (DCC) to be called the Sickle Africa Data Coordinating Center (SADaCC), to support the activities of a companion SCD Network in Africa. This overall objective will be accomplished by four specific aims:
Aim 1 : To provide overall coordination and administrative support that will include development and maintenance of operating procedures; creation and management of SCD Ontology.
Aim 2 : To create and ensure maintenance of a centralized, electronic sickle hemoglobinopathy database that will include development of protocols, including appropriate consenting procedures and provision of data management and bioinformatics skills.
Aim 3 : to provide biostatistical, study development, analytic and medical expertise.
Aim 4 : to provide 2 year development phase, and 1 year pilot/planning phase and a 1 year implementation phase. We believe that our team?s a) prior experience, as a coordinating center, of the activities of the H3Africa Consortium, b) the outstanding institutional environment at the University of Cape Town (UCT), c) the long experience of the UCT Clinical Research Centre in research/data management and H3ABioNet in bioinformatics capacity development, and d) our track record in basic, translational and clinical research, and training focused on SCD in SSA, augurs well to establish the most effective DCC for the SCD consortium.

Public Health Relevance

(3 sentences) There is therefore a major need for research to help develop effective therapies across the life span for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in all parts of the world, and longitudinal cohort studies are the most scientifically rigorous methods in understanding of, risk factors, and health and disease outcomes. High disease prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa would be expected to facilitate epidemiologic, translational, and clinical research studies on SCD, similar to Framingham Study for the heart, and this U24 application is seeking to establish a Data Coordinating Center (DCC) to be called the Sickle Africa Data Coordinating Center (SADaCC), to support the activities of a companion SCD Network in Africa. We believe that our team?s prior experience, as a coordinating center of the activities of the H3Africa Consortium and the outstanding institutional environment at the University of Cape Town and our track record in basic, translational and clinical research, and training focused on SCD in SSA augurs well to establish the most effective DCC for the SCD consortium.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Resource-Related Research Projects--Cooperative Agreements (U24)
Project #
1U24HL135600-01
Application #
9232236
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHL1-CSR-C (O2))
Program Officer
Lerner, Norma B
Project Start
2017-04-01
Project End
2021-03-31
Budget Start
2017-04-01
Budget End
2018-03-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
$850,264
Indirect Cost
$60,464
Name
University of Cape Town
Department
Type
DUNS #
568227214
City
Rondebosch
State
Country
South Africa
Zip Code
7700
Adadey, Samuel Mawuli; Awandare, Gordon; Amedofu, Goffrey Kwabla et al. (2017) Public Health Burden of Hearing Impairment and the Promise of Genomics and Environmental Research: A Case Study in Ghana, Africa. OMICS 21:638-646
Makani, Julie; Ofori-Acquah, Solomon F; Tluway, Furahini et al. (2017) Sickle cell disease: tipping the balance of genomic research to catalyse discoveries in Africa. Lancet 389:2355-2358
Kruszka, Paul; Porras, Antonio R; Addissie, Yonit A et al. (2017) Noonan syndrome in diverse populations. Am J Med Genet A 173:2323-2334
Geard, Amy; Pule, Gift D; Chetcha Chemegni, Bernard et al. (2017) Clinical and genetic predictors of renal dysfunctions in sickle cell anaemia in Cameroon. Br J Haematol 178:629-639
Wonkam, Ambroise (2017) Is there a role for pharmacogenetics in the treatment of sickle cell disease? Pharmacogenomics 18:321-325
Landouré, Guida; Cissé, Lassana; Touré, Boubacar A et al. (2017) Neurological Complications in Subjects With Sickle Cell Disease or Trait: Genetic Results From Mali. Glob Heart 12:77-80
Mitropoulos, Konstantinos; Cooper, David N; Mitropoulou, Christina et al. (2017) Genomic Medicine Without Borders: Which Strategies Should Developing Countries Employ to Invest in Precision Medicine? A New ""Fast-Second Winner"" Strategy. OMICS 21:647-657
Pule, Gift Dineo; Bitoungui, Valentina Josiane Ngo; Chemegni, Bernard Chetcha et al. (2017) SAR1a promoter polymorphisms are not associated with fetal hemoglobin in patients with sickle cell disease from Cameroon. BMC Res Notes 10:183