The 4th Annual RIC Africa Principal Investigators was held on 17th March at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa bringing together our consortium to discuss study progress, challenges and ideas.
The RIC-AFRICA trial was established to investigate whether Remote Ischaemic Conditioning (RIC) can improve clinical outcomes in these higher-risk STEMI patients in sub-Saharan Africa treated by thrombolysis. What began as a pilot study in early 2022 across 4 African countries, RIC Africa is now active in 8 pan-African countries, involving nearly 20 different hospital sites. Each year we welcome new teams and sites as the study grows and the awareness of the research stretches across Africa. This year we were fortunate to welcome Mauritius and Ethiopia as new members of the RIC Africa family.
Under the leadership of Prof Derek Yellon (UCL) and Prof Mpiko Ntsekhe (UCT), the study as secured significant funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark. This support has enabled dedicated Research Medical Officers and Research Nurses to focus on the study and thus, has allowed for much progress. Prof Yellon has an honorary position at UCT in the Department of Medicine due to his on-going advisory capacity and this further strengthens links to UCT and beyond. At a recent meeting between senior representatives of UCT and UCL, the success of the RIC Africa study was included on the agenda as the two organisations explore opportunities to build closer ties. We have been fortunate to have the support of the UCL Research, Innovation & Global Engagement team (under Prof Geraint Rees), since the inception of the RIC Africa study.
The meeting was productive, informative and as always, an excellent opportunity to share challenges and solutions. With each year, we feel the team coming together more and solidifying the network. Presentations on potential sub-studies allowed us to think of new studies to utilise the data looking ahead. Certainly, there is great opportunity.
Importantly, we began collective discussions around the education programme that will underpin RIC Africa. Through various courses specific to clinical research and by utilising a variety of resources, we will create a comprehensive and applicable training package to support continued research across Africa.
As with past meetings, the opportunity to come together as a team strengthened our determination to reach the study goals and reminds us what is possible through teamwork. We continue to be proud of the important work the team is undertaking. We look forward to see what we will achieve in the coming year!
