Research Platforms and Cohorts
An important proportion of research activities funded by a variety of donors is supported by research platforms, research services and professional services, mostly funded by MRC core funding.
There are 4 platforms. The health and demographic surveillance system cover a population of about 240,000 and collects data on births, deaths, immigration and emigration that allow estimating birth and mortality rates in the communities. The West Africa platform supports collaborative links with other West African institutions. The Clinical Research platform includes the MRCG clinical services and other Government health facilities, including the University Hospital, in which clinical studies and trials are carried out. The Tuberculosis Case Contact platform (TBCC) identifies TB-confirmed cases and their household contacts, and follow them for 2 years to determine the risk of TB infection and disease.
Research Services
Research services provide support to investigators. They are divided in two clusters, namely the research governance and support services (RGSS) and the laboratory services (LAB). The RGSS includes clinical trial
support, data management and statistics, research development and project management. Its activities go from the negotiation of contracts to implementation of clinical trials. The LAB includes all laboratory activities, plus the biobank and the biomedical engineering. This services are essential to carry out high-quality, world-class research.