International Partners

Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Germany (ITM)

The Institut of Tropical Medicine of the University of Tübingen is the main partner of CERMEL. The collaboration started in 1996, and since then numerous successful joint projects have been carried out. UKT and CERMEL continue to be strong partners in several grants by EU, EDCTP and BMBF. Most group leaders at UKT perform research at CERMEL on a variety of subjects, including malaria, tuberculosis and helminth research. Several Gabonese researchers have obtained their PhD at the UKT. Likewise, a large number of students from Tübingen have performed parts of their theses in Lambaréné.

Bernhard Nocht Institute For Tropical Medicine (BNITM)

BNITM started to perform research in Lambarene in the 1980s. The partnership was renewed in the past years, based on the multiple projects lead by Prof. Michael Ramharter and Pr. Ghyslain Mombo-Ngoma. The focus is on malaria, helmintic diseases and mother-child health. BNITM is also involved in developing the CERMEL satellite site in Sindara. Exchange visits of students and scientists in both directions consitute an important element of the partnership.

UNESCO Chair on Bioethics

The UNESCO chair on Bioethics at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, has a close relationship with CERMEL. It has been involved in the training courses of the National Ethics Committee of Gabon, and the Chairholder, Dr. Christiane Druml participated in the establishment of the School of Public Health in Lambarene.
Other activities include the hosting of an international symposium “Fighting Malaria with CRISPR/Cas9: Ethical Implications” in 2016 in Vienna and another international conference on “Vector borne diseases, the nature and genome editing: an ethical consultation” in Vienna in January 2020.

International Fondation of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné (FISL)

CERMEL is part of the International Fondation of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné. Although administratively distinct from the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, there are very close ties established over the years. The partnership is essential for both patient care and research.

Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)

Prof. Yazdanbakhsh is a visiting professor at CERMEL. Her group at LUMC has been a partner with CERMEL since over 20 years. The collaboration has proved especially fruitful and essential parts of the Hygiene hypothesis of allergie pathogenesis are based on studies performed in Lambaréné by CERMEL and LUMC researchers. In addition, LUMC has trained several Gabonese researchers and continues to host Gabonese PhD students.

St. Georges, University of London (SGUL)

St. Georges, University of London is a close partner since over 15 years. Several clinical studies, focusing on evaluating artemisinin combination therapy and new diagnostic methods for malaria have been performed over the years. Professor Sanjeev Krishna has acted as a trusted adviser in various projects and grant applications of CERMEL.

Medical University of Vienna (MUV)

The Department of Infectious Diseases of the Medical University of Vienna is one of the founding partners of the research laboratory in Lambaréné. Since then, numerous research projets have been untertaken jointly. The institutional and regional Ethics Committees have been trained by head of the Ethics Committee of Vienna. The Department of Infectious Diseases of the Medical University of Vienna is one of the founding partners of the research laboratory in Lambaréné. The activites are lead by Prof. Michael Ramharter, who has headed several research projects focusing on malaria in pregnancy and new interventions against malaria.

Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam (AMC)

Professor Martin Grobusch has been an active partner of CERMEL since his first research project in 1996. Holding a chair at the Medical University Amsterdam, he has established a close relationship between the two institutions, focusing on tuberculosis and malaria research.

Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)

Based on a long standing partnership with the Barcelona team, several clinical trial have been successfully conducted over the years. As part of many of these projects, the immune response against malaria has been studied together with the team of Carlota Dobaño

The Central African Network for Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria (CANTAM)

The Central African Network for Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria is a network of research centers funded by the EDCTP’s “Center of Exellence” programme. Based in Brazzaville, Republique of Congo, and lead by Francine Ntoumi, it coordinates research projects and capacity development at 5 research centers in Cameroon, Republic of Congo, and Gabon.

Sanaria, Inc.

Sanaria is a US biotechnology company lead by Prof. Stephen Hoffman and is developing a promising 2nd generation malaria vaccine. CERMEL has conducted and is planning several studies in partnership with the Sanaria team.

Nagasaki University Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN)

Lead by Professor Jiro Yasuda, the University of Nagasaki University Institute of Tropical Medicine has recently become a partner. The collaboration provides research and training opportunities for Japanese PhD students at CERMEL and for Gabonese students at Nagasaki University. As part of a research project funded by JICA and the Japanese Ministry for Foreign Affairs, a high security laboratory is being set up at CERMEL.

Vietnamese - German Center for Medical Research (VG-CARE)

CERMEL hosts researchers from VG-CARE and has trained physicians to conduct clinical trials. Several Vietnamese physicians and researchers have performed parts of their theses in Lambaréné. The effort is lead by Dr. Velevan, based at the University of Tübingen, Germany.

Austrian Service Abroad (ÖAD)

CERMEL is a partner of the Austrian Service Abroad (Österreichischer Auslandsdienst), a non-profit initiative providing placements for an alternative Austrian national service. CERMEL hosts one young Austrian who supports the institution in a wide range of tasks, including administration, lab work, translation, field work in the framework of studies and many more.

Westfälische Wilhelmsuniversität Münster (WWU)/Universitätsklinikum Münster (UKM)

The Institute of Medical Microbiology cooperates with CERMEL on bacterial infections in Central Africa. The research focus of Prof. Schaumburg is on Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive Staphylococcus aureus and its association with severe infections. Together with WWU/UKM, CERMEL has a very active part in African research cooperations on staphylococcal infections.