Courtesy Photo | The physicians, nurses, researchers, and staff of Kombewa celebrate the 27th...... read more read more
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The Kombewa Clinical Research Center celebrated its 27th anniversary on 10 March, 2025 in Kombewa, Kenya. During the event, staff recognized the Center’s 27 years of contributions to protecting the warfighter and the public from medical threats.
Founded in 1998 as a research site, the Kombewa Clinical Research Center was started as a Walter Reed Army Institute of Research-Africa and Kenya Medical Research Center facility in Kisumu. The Center moved to a new building in 2003 which allowed them to expand the scope of their clinical trials to include phase 1 through phrase 4 clinical trials for vaccines and small molecule therapeutics.
“At Kombewa, we look for interventional treatments for the warfighter,” explained Lt. Col. Evans, Director of the Kombewa Clinical Research Center. “This is why our relationship to the nearby hospital is so important. We evaluate medications that have been shown to be both effective and safe in preclinical trials. In other words, we study the safety and efficacy of any treatment that can help our service members.”
According to Global Emerging Infections Surveillance, one of the biggest threats to the warfighter in Kenya is malaria. There is no malaria vaccine approved for use in U.S. military, so instead service members rely on countermeasures such as insect repellant to stay safe from malaria-carrying mosquitos. However, mosquitos are developing resistance to these countermeasures – making the development of a vaccine or medical countermeasure increasingly important.
“Currently we don’t have many soldiers with malaria as we do not have many troops deployed in Africa or East Asia. However, if we ever want to increase our numbers in those areas, Kombewa’s work is essential,” said Evans. “Whether it’s a new malaria vaccine, a medical countermeasure, or an interventional treatment, we can evaluate them with clinical trials so the Army can deploy warfighters safely.”
“Although malaria is currently one of the biggest threats to the warfighter in Kenya, traumatic brain injuries and sepsis also threaten force health,” Evans explained. “The Kombewa Clinical Research Center aims to broaden its work to evaluate interventions for those threats as well.”
By working on the clinical trials that protect force health, Kombewa is an essential part of ensuring the health and readiness of the warfighter. And as an extension of WRAIR-Africa that works closely with its surrounding community, it has contributed to the health of Kenya and global medical research for 27 years.
To learn more about WRAIR-Africa and WRAIR’s global footprint, check out our website: https://wrair.health.mil/Global-Research/
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2025 11:18 |
| Story ID: | 499208 |
| Location: | KE |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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