Covid-19 drug development and trials research Consortium
Lower respiratory infections rank among the top leading causes of death in Sub-Saharan Africa. The advent of covid-19 pandemic has complicated an already worse situation thereby necessitating the search for potent alternatives which can compliment vaccines and the already strained conventional healthcare systems. Africa is endowed with abundant medicinal flora which have been utilized by indigenous communities in managing respiratory ailments since time immemorial. However, these working options have not been validated and their safety confirmed.
The Covid-19 drug development and trials research Consortium brings together six partner institutions (Kenyatta University, Kemri, Mt Kenya University, Egerton University, Multimedia university, Pwani University) in a project aimed at ‘Developing natural medicinal products for mitigation of COVID-19 pandemic and other respiratory infections’. The consortium coordinated by Kemri has received an initial seed funding of over Ksh. 50.6 million from the National Research Fund (NRF) for this task intends to harness modern technology (ICT) and laboratory technologies to ease the integration of alternative medicines used by local communities into the national healthcare system. The consortium shall develop natural medicinal products and food supplements, validate existing medicinal products and make them safe for use. In addition, copper-based antimicrobial spray unique PPEs and a mobile App to aid in integrating alternative medicine into the National healthcare system shall be developed. The Consortium shall also review the existing fragmented guidelines and policies on integration for the purpose of harmonizing and legislation into Law.
In the three year research project, a mobile application to aid in integration of quality evidence based natural products into mainstream healthcare systems shall also be developed. This tool shall ease the interaction between all stakeholders in managing covid-19 and other respiratory ailments by providing information to clinicians who may wish to prescribe the developed products and also the general populations who shall be end users of these products.
Rationale
Leveraging on the importance of exploring the use of home grown solutions “African solutions to solve African problems”, this research consortium is driving local innovative interventions and drug discovery including the development of hygienic – easy to distribute – nutritious functional food products, effective environmentally benign and human safe biocides, production of natural and affordable immunity boosting supplements, development of effective vaccine and/or antiviral therapeutics, and exploration of alternative cost effective quality and evidence based preventive and biomedical strategies to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Consortium Objectives
Resource Mapping
An ethnobotanical and ethno-medical survey of traditional approaches used by local communities in Kenya, with biological, phytochemical, physicochemical and chromatographic fingerprints for standardizing quality and assessment of the safety and efficacy of selected herbal formulations in the prevention and management of COVID-19.
Herbal Antivirals
Development of local herbal antiviral interventions with extraction and screening of secondary metabolites from selected medicinal plants and their endophytes for antiviral activity against COVID-19
Herbal Products & PPE's
Synthesize and characterize copper derived biocides from selected plant extracts and individual bioactive plant components to determine activity against bacterial, fungal and viral agents to formulate antimicrobial and virucidal sprays for disinfecting PPEs..
Functional Foods & Supplements
Development of protocols for commercial production of mushroom based functional (Smart®) and medicinal food products that boost immunity against SARS-like conditions and improve general health.
Restoration & Conservation
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Policies & Legislation
Rapid reviews and synthesis of policies, legislations, regulations and Institutions
arrangements to develop a Policy Brief that guides regulations, management and use of herbal-based interventions, and Ethno-medicinal research evidence on COVID-19 herbal remedies compiled for Evidence on use of herbal remedies for improved health.
Principal Investigators
Prof. Jennifer Orwa
Consortium Coordinator
KEMRI
Prof. Isabel Wagara
Partner
Egerton University
Prof. Joseph Mwafaida
Partner
Pwani University
Dr. Peter Kirira
Partner
Mount Kenya University
Dr. Martin Magu
Partner
Multimedia University of Kenya
Dr. Meshack Ondora Onyambu
Partner
Kenyatta University
Consortium Partners
Consortium Funders
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Contact Us
Kenya Medical Research Institute
P.O. Box 54840 00200 Off Raila Odinga Way. Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel: +254 722205901
email: JOrwa@npr.or.ke