Project Title

“This project is part of the EDCTP2 programme supported by the European Union”  

EDCTP/AREF preparatory fellowship to expertise on folate nutritional status and malaria risk in mostly adolescent women   

Dr Salou DIALLO

The safety of iron and folate supplementation in young women is uncertain in malaria endemic areas. Given that malaria parasitemia prevalence is highest in the first pregnancy and that most primigravidae are adolescents, studies in this population group in malaria endemic areas are of primary importance. I propose to undertake an extended secondary analysis of nutritional and inflammatory biomarkers using reserve sera obtained in a completed periconceptional controlled trial of iron and folic acid supplementation in Burkina Faso, in order to determine the framework for a subsequent safety trial of folate supplementation trial amongst adolescent girl/women living in the same area.

The aims of this Preparatory Fellowship application are (i) to enhance my competitiveness in grant acquisition for clinical trials with training in in proposal preparation, data analysis and manuscript writing (ii) to improve my skills and competence in specific laboratory techniques and analysis; (iii) following the Fellowship to develop a template proposal for a randomized trial related to a folate intervention in adolescent girls living under high malaria endemic conditions. The framework for this trial would be influenced by results on folate status and inflammatory biomarkers measured on reserve sera available for analysis as part of this Fellowship application.

To achieve these aims a three months placement at the Academic Medical Centre (AMC), University of Amsterdam (AMC) is required, who would act as Host Institution. Staff at the AMC will facilitate the analysis of 3242 stored sera samples from a previous intervention trial in young Burkinabe women for folate, lipopolysaccharide; α1-acyl glycoprotein; cytokine assays (IL-6, IL-8, IL18, IL1-β) and an ELISA for non-typhi salmonella antigen. Prevalence of the methylene tetrahydrofolate deficiency gene a key enzyme on the folate pathway, would be determined.

Following the placement, a three-month re-integration period would be used to complete statistical analysis, data interpretation and manuscript preparation, to train peers on a set of laboratory techniques and to develop the follow-on project utilising research outputs obtained during the placement. This Preparatory Fellowship will have (i) scientific impact through contribution to knowledge on iron and folate supplementation in the periconceptional period in young women living in high malaria endemic areas; (ii) strengthen my competence in project and proposal design; (iii) facilitate transfer of research skills from the AMC to CRUN, which would contribute to enhancing local research capacity

August 1, 2021

December 31, 2022