Virtual MoU Signing Between SiCRES and DNDi

On November 10^th, 2020, Prof. Prasit Watanapa, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, along with Prof. Prasert Auewarakul, Deputy Dean of Research, Assoc.Prof. Prapat Wanitpongpan, Deputy Dean for International Relations, and Prof. Kulkanya Chokephaibulkit, Director of the Siriraj Institute of Clinical Research (SiCRES), preside over the Virtual Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Signing Ceremony for Research Collaboration on Conducting Clinical Research between Siriraj Institute of Clinical Research (SICRES), Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University and the non-profit research and development (R&D) organization from Switzerland, The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), to promote and foster a collaborative non-for-profit Medical Research and Development (R&D) environment in Thailand and to encourage and develop Thailand’s potential as one of South East Asia’s as respected medical R&D locations, and to collaborate on medical research in Thailand, particularly on the implementation and management of clinical trials for new treatments.

“This alliance between SICRES and DNDi will enhance our medical R&D potential in neglected diseases and lead to improvements in patient treatment. As a well-established academic institution of the country, Siriraj is often described as the ‘Hospital of the Land’. SICRES by Siriraj aims to facilitate and conduct clinical research that will have a positive impact for human health. Collectively, we share similar goals that lead to improving the quality of life for patients. Our partnership creates an epic moment that will benefit the work, treatment, and prevention of neglected diseases in the region and beyond.” said Prof. Prasit Watanapa.

This collaboration stems from the organizations’ shared commitment to improving the health and lives of Thai people affected by neglected diseases and ensuring they have equitable access to affordable treatments.

“I believe this collaborative partnership lays down the roots to build more R&D knowledge transfer and expand the capacity of expertise in Thailand. DNDi has a strong footprint in Thailand and South-East Asia and I am certain this MoU will contribute to support our work and fortify our partnerships” said Dr. Bernard Pécoul, Executive Director of DNDi.

The MoU spans the following R&D areas:

• To promote and foster collaborative medical R&D environment in Thailand with a focus on patients’ needs.
• To explore opportunities for the development of new treatments, for example for dengue, that have the potential to change patient management
• To work together to support the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) R&D activities on antimicrobial resistance in South–East Asia
• To encourage and develop collaboration with other South–East Asia R&D actors (such as Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) in Malaysia)
• To address the needs of neglected patients in Thailand through R&D and advocacy activities so that Thailand has access to safe, effective, and affordable treatments

This MoU is an important step towards stimulating further bilateral R&D cooperation. The future R&D efforts of DNDi and SICRES will strive to contribute to and enhance Thailand’s public health response for neglected patients and diseases.

About SiCRES: Siriraj Institute of clinical Research (SICRES) is a leading comprehensive clinical research center in Thailand. It is a new set-up institution of Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, the largest medical school and public hospital in Thailand. SICRES offers various services that are related to clinical researches as well as highly trained research scientists and state-of-the-art facilities to conduct effective clinical trials, bioequivalence studies. Safety and efficacy evaluation among those services are also handled by the specialist from SICRES. https://sicres.org/

About DNDi: The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a patient-needs driven, not-for-profit R&D organization working to deliver new treatments for neglected patients through innovation, in particular for sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, filaria, mycetoma, paediatric HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and covid-19. https://dndi.org/

About GARDP: The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) is a not-for-profit organization developing new treatments for drug-resistant infections that pose the greatest threat to health. GARDP was created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) in 2016 to ensure that everyone who needs antibiotics receives effective and affordable treatment, no matter where they live. www.gardp.org