Development of a New Rapid Diagnostic Test to Support Onchocerciasis Elimination (Obi1)

March 5, 2025 updated by: Bioaster

Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is one of the disease targeted for elimination by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the group of Neglected Tropical Diseases. Existing diagnostic tools for onchocerciasis have limitations that make mapping, epidemiological assessments and verification of elimination of onchocerciasis difficult. It is in this context that WHO, in its 2021-2030 roadmap for onchocerciasis, has identified the development of new diagnostic tests, or the improvement of existing diagnostic tests, as a critical condition for achieving the goal of eliminating onchocerciasis transmission.

To this end, a series of cross-sectional studies will be carried out in Cameroun over a one year period to collect and characterize biological samples for the development and evaluation of a new rapid diagnostic test for onchocerciasis. The study will target individuals aged 18 and over, mono-infected with one of the filarial species Onchocerca volvulus, Loa loa or Mansonella perstans; and non-infected.

At the end of this study, data on the endemicity of onchocerciasis, loiasis and mansonellosis in the selected communities will be updated. More importantly, a new rapid diagnostic test will be developed, which can then be used to monitor the activities of onchocerciasis control programs.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, stands as the second leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 25 million people are infected globally, with another 90 million at risk. Over 99% of these cases occur in Africa, and vision loss affects around 1.15 million individuals. The primary strategy for combating onchocerciasis currently is Community Directed Treatment with Ivermectin (CDTI), requiring a minimum of 80% therapeutic coverage for 10 -15 years.

Areas of West and Central Africa endemic for loiasis and mansonellasis, where ivermectin may trigger severe side effects, pose a significant challenge in the battle against onchocerciasis. Existing diagnostic tools for onchocerciasis have limitations that make mapping, epidemiological assessments and verification of elimination of onchocerciasis difficult. This situation underscores the importance of improving the specificity of onchocerciasis diagnosis to reduce cross-reactivity and false results due to other parasitic helminths in co-endemic regions. It is in this context that WHO, in its 2021-2030 roadmap for onchocerciasis, has identified the development of new diagnostic tests, or the improvement of existing diagnostic tests, as a critical condition for achieving the goal of eliminating onchocerciasis transmission.

To this end, a series of cross-sectional studies will be carried out to build up a bank of well-characterized biological samples for the development and evaluation of a new rapid diagnostic test for onchocerciasis. These studies will take place in the Centre, Littoral, West and South regions of Cameroon over a one year period. The study will target individuals aged 18 and over, mono-infected with one of the filarial species Onchocerca volvulus, Loa loa or Mansonella perstans; and non-infected. The study will begin with a screening phase during which potential participants will be diagnosed for the different filariasis. Following this screening phase, individuals meeting the inclusion criteria will be selected. Once consent has been obtained, blood samples will be taken for test development and validation of the onchocerciasis RDT. In fact, venous blood sample (in a tube containing EDTA) will be taken for each participant, by venipuncture. After collection, the tube(s) containing the blood will be stored in a cooler containing ice and transported to the laboratory within 6 hours of collection. Once at the laboratory, the plasma will be immediately prepared, then aliquoted and stored at -80ºC until transfer to BIOASTER for development and evaluation of the new diagnostic test for onchocerciasis.

At the end of this study, data on the endemicity of onchocerciasis, loiasis and mansonellosis in the selected communities will be updated. More importantly, a new rapid diagnostic test will be developed, which can then be used to monitor the activities of onchocerciasis control programs.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

400

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Cameroon
      • Yaounde, Cameroon, 5797
        • Recruiting
        • Higher Institute for Scientific and Medical Research
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Joseph KAMGNO

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects informed of the objectives of the study and who signed a consent form
  • Subjects without filariasis (for control subjects), or
  • Subjects mono-infected with Onchocerca volvulus, or
  • Subjects mono-infected with Loa loa, or
  • Subjects mono-infected with Mansonella perstans or alternatively co-infected with Mansonella perstans and Loa loa

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or breast-feeding women
  • Subjects having taken antihelminthic treatment less than 6 months before the inclusion date

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: Group1: Control subjects (non-infected with filariasis)
Blood drawing + feces sample collection
Biological: Biological samples collection (blood drawing + feces)
Blood and feces samples will be collected from each volunteer.
Other: Group 2: Subjects mono-infected with Onchocerca volvulus
Blood drawing + feces sample collection
Biological: Biological samples collection (blood drawing + feces)
Blood and feces samples will be collected from each volunteer.
Other: Group 3: Subjects mono-infected with Loa loa
Blood drawing + feces sample collection
Biological: Biological samples collection (blood drawing + feces)
Blood and feces samples will be collected from each volunteer.
Other: Group 4: Subjects mono-infected with Mansonella perstans (alternatively co-infected with Loa loa)
Blood drawing + feces sample collection
Biological: Biological samples collection (blood drawing + feces)
Blood and feces samples will be collected from each volunteer.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Evaluation of the performance of the prototype diagnostic test
Time Frame: Up to 52 weeks
The prototype will be evaluated with all plasma samples in order to determine the dynamic range of the test and the associated variability, as well as its performance in terms of sensitivity and specificity in relation to non-infected samples, and the absence of cross-reactivity with samples infected by Loa loa and Mansonella perstans.
Up to 52 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bioaster

Investigators

  • Study Director: Philippe LEISSNER, Bioaster
  • Principal Investigator: Joseph KAMGNO, ISM (Higher Institute for Scientific and Medical Research)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 15, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 22, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 29, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

April 5, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 5, 2025

Last Verified

March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BA161WP1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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