BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) launched the African Consortium for Cancer Clinical Trials (AC3T) to foster and implement cancer clinical trials led by African investigators. AC3T is designed to build clinical trial capacity, address the cancer data gap in Africa, and improve access to prioritized cancer diagnostics, medicines, and quality treatment for African patients.

We aim to achieve this by asking hospitals - not just cancer hospitals - and clinics to complete an 8-page questionnaire (AC3T checklist) and then creating custom profiles that showcase each hospital/clinic’s experience and capabilities. The profiles will be published on an online platform that will be promoted and accessible to private industry and academics seeking to identify new sites to conduct their clinical studies.

BVGH is actively trying to expand the program to include more sites in sub-Saharan Africa, and we welcome completed checklists from any sub-Saharan African site that has an interest in conducting cancer clinical trials (even if the site has not done so in the past). In return, sites who complete a checklist will benefit by:

1. Showcasing their current capacities – including those related to communicable and non-communicable disease (NCD) clinical trials

2. Encouraging private industry to perform NCD clinical trials, which could help their institution bridge between two infectious disease studies, thereby keeping the site funded and the staff practicing their clinical trial skills

3. Highlighting the skills and infrastructure gaps at their institution, and matching them with partners who have the expertise to fill those gaps

4. Having their data, needs, and capacity in clinical trials featured at high-profile events, such as the 2019 African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) Conference in Maputo, Mozambique, where BVGH will publicly launch the AC3T online platform.