Improving sickle cell care, research, and training in Uganda
Sickle Pan-African Research Consortium (SPARCO) Uganda: Strengthening Capacity for Clinical Care, Research and Training in Sickle Cell Disease - SCRT Project.
This program is expanding newborn screening, clinic care, and provider training to help children and adults with sickle cell disease across Uganda.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Makerere University College of Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kampala, Uganda) |
| Project ID | NIH-11097275 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
As someone with sickle cell disease or a parent of a child with SCD in Uganda, this program aims to expand newborn screening, strengthen clinics, and train health workers so we get care earlier and more consistently. It builds on the Makerere sickle cell clinic and its large patient database to register more patients and standardize treatment and follow-up. The project will promote infection prevention, early complication management, and increased access to treatments such as hydroxyurea where appropriate. Over time the work intends to reduce child deaths and improve ongoing health and quality of life for people with SCD in Uganda.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are newborns, children, adolescents, and adults in Uganda who have or are suspected to have sickle cell disease and can attend participating clinics.
Not a fit: People living outside Uganda, those without sickle cell disease, or individuals unable to access the participating clinics are unlikely to benefit directly from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could lower childhood deaths, improve routine care, and increase access to proven SCD treatments across Uganda.
How similar studies have performed: High-income countries sharply reduced childhood SCD deaths with newborn screening, infection prevention, comprehensive care, and hydroxyurea, and early African initiatives have begun to show local improvements using similar approaches.
Where this research is happening
Kampala, Uganda
- Makerere University College of Health Sciences — Kampala, Uganda (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kiguli, Sarah — Makerere University College of Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Kiguli, Sarah
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.