Sickle cell care and registry in Zimbabwe (SHAZ)
Official title: Sickle Hemoglobinopathy reseArch in Zimbabwe (SHAZ)
Funded at College of Health Scis Univ of Zimbabwe · NIH-11092924 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program will enroll people with sickle cell disease in Zimbabwe and Zambia to collect health information and blood samples to help improve diagnosis and treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | College of Health Scis Univ of Zimbabwe NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Harare, Zimbabwe) |
| Project start | May 20, 2021 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $230,605 |
| NIH project number | 5U01HL156943-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11092924 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People of any age with sickle cell disease who can attend clinics in Zimbabwe or Zambia, including newborns, children, and adults, are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without sickle cell disease, those living far from participating clinics, or those unwilling to provide samples and attend follow-up are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you join SHAZ, you would be asked to share health information, have routine clinical checks, and give small blood samples that go into a secure registry and biorepository. The team plans to enroll about 4,000 people across Zimbabwe and Zambia and follow them over several years to learn how sickle cell affects children and adults. Researchers will run three linked cohort studies, including one looking at whether low fetal hemoglobin and abnormal cerebral blood flow raise the risk of stroke. The project also trains local clinicians and works to expand newborn screening, better nutrition, and access to hydroxyurea at participating clinics.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help prevent strokes, enable earlier diagnosis in newborns, and widen access to treatments like hydroxyurea for people with sickle cell disease.
How similar studies have gone: Registries and hydroxyurea programs elsewhere have improved outcomes, but large coordinated cohort and stroke-risk studies in this part of sub‑Saharan Africa are relatively recent.
Where this research is happening
-
College of Health Scis Univ of Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kuona, Patience — College of Health Scis Univ of Zimbabwe
- Study coordinator: Kuona, Patience
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.