A Personalized Contraception Platform for Women and Providers: Project UChoose
The objective of Project UChoose is to develop novel long-acting contraceptive products that, in addition to being safe and highly effective, reduce side effects and improve health benefits with a focus on versality and convenience. Building on existing collaborations with private sector entities and organizations in developing countries, these activities include:
- Studying the impact of selected widely-used and highly-effective contraceptives on the female reproductive tract (The UMPALA Clinical Research Study)
- Long-acting contraceptive development of a biodegradable, subdermal pellet implantable system for personalized contraception with reduced side effects
- Development of a human centered design-driven implant inserter device for safe, easy and rapid use by minimally trained healthcare providers in busy clinics
- Technology innovation incubator for assessing feasibility of novel, next- contraceptive delivery concepts
- Strengthening clinical endpoint research and human centered design capacity among local researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa
This program is made possible by the generous support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided through cooperative agreement number 7200AA20CA00019. The contents of this page are the sole responsibility of CONRAD and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
Innovation in Contraceptive Research Workshop (May 21-23, 2024 at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort in Mombasa, Kenya)
The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and CONRAD are partnering to implement an interactive scientific training opportunity designed to bolster the research capacity of early-career African investigators, by empowering professional communities with new approaches to elevate performance and enhance technical skills in contraceptive research. This three-day, hands-on workshop will provide cutting-edge information and demonstrations through plenary sessions, research tools, and networking opportunities for young investigators in the contraception field. Through morning plenary sessions, key international and local expert speakers will address topics including current contraception R&D and implementation, multi-purpose technologies (MPTs) and topical and systemic products. In afternoon break-out sessions, participants will have the opportunity to gain more in-depth, hands-on training in laboratory endpoints of clinical studies, Phase I clinical trial design and implementation, and human-centered research methodologies. There will also be the opportunity to participate in an intensive manuscript and grant-writing module, as well as a networking and poster session. Our hope is that the Innovation in Contraception Research workshop provides a valuable focus on research and networking tools capable of sustaining young, local investigators researching next-generation contraceptive products.
The workshop will provide presentations, discussions, and practical sessions with technical experts on:
- New Developments in Contraceptive Research & Development
- Hormonal & Non-hormonal Contraception
- Social and Behavioral Research/Human-Centered Design
- Mucosal Samples for Multiple Phase I Endpoints
- New Developments in Multi-Purpose Technologies (MPTs)
- Topical and Systemic Products
- Phase I Clinical Trials for New Contraceptives and MPTs (Safety, Pharmacokinetic, Pharmacodynamic Endpoints)
- Sperm Functional Assays
- Cervicovaginal Cytotoxicity Assays
- Grant and Manuscript Writing
The workshop is free, including participation in the workshop, materials and meals during the 3 days. Partial and full scholarships will be provided for travel and accommodation to a select number of participants. An accepted abstract will increase the chance for a full scholarship.
Abstracts can be submitted on the following topics:
- Contraception R&D and implementation
- Socio-behavioral research and end-user acceptability in reproductive health
- Multi-purpose technologies (MPTs) (contraception and STI)
Submission Deadline for Abstracts and Scholarships: 15 April 2024
If you are interested in attending and/or submitting an abstract, please contact the workshop hosts at crw@evms.edu for additional information and requirements to apply for a partial/full scholarship and abstract submissions. Please also Click here to Register!
