Nigeria Sickle Cell Care and Research Network
Sickle Pan African Research Consortium Nigeria (SPARC-NEt)
This project is expanding newborn screening, ongoing clinic care, and treatments like penicillin and hydroxyurea for children with sickle cell in Nigeria.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Abuja NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Abuja, Nigeria) |
| Project ID | NIH-11097198 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or your child has sickle cell, this program is building a network of clinics across Nigeria to find babies early and keep patients in care. The team is training health workers, creating a shared REDCap database, and enrolling patients at 19 sites so care follows common protocols. The work includes giving penicillin to young children, offering hydroxyurea to those who need it, and monitoring for stroke risk. By standardizing care and collecting patient data, the program aims to make it easier for families to receive proven treatments and for researchers to improve care over time.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Newborns, infants, and children with sickle cell disease in Nigeria who can attend one of the participating clinics are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without sickle cell disease, patients who live outside Nigeria or cannot access participating centers, and those ineligible for the program's interventions may not receive direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, many more children in Nigeria could be diagnosed at birth and receive treatments that reduce infections, complications, and deaths before age five.
How similar studies have performed: Other programs in Africa and elsewhere have shown that newborn screening, penicillin prophylaxis, and hydroxyurea lower mortality and complications, though wide-scale implementation in Nigeria has been limited.
Where this research is happening
Abuja, Nigeria
- University of Abuja — Abuja, Nigeria (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nnodu, Obiageli Eunice — University of Abuja
- Study coordinator: Nnodu, Obiageli Eunice
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.